If you’ve been watching the news lately, you’ve probably noticed that the maps of Eastern Europe look like a chaotic chessboard. It’s messy. People talk about "the front lines" as if it’s just two neat rows of soldiers facing off, but the reality of who is fighting in the Ukraine is way more complicated than a simple country-versus-country setup. You’ve got professional soldiers, sure. But then there are the guys who were IT consultants three years ago, foreign volunteers with various motivations, and shadowy private military companies that operate in a legal gray zone.
It’s a brutal, high-tech, and simultaneously old-school war.
The core of the conflict is, obviously, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU) defending their sovereign territory against the Russian Armed Forces. But that’s just the top layer. Beneath that, you find a patchwork of units that don't always share the same background, training, or even language. It’s honestly a logistical nightmare and a feat of social engineering all at once.
The Ukrainian Side: A Mix of Pros and Civilians
The Ukrainian military isn't just one monolithic block. At the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, the world saw the Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) explode in size. These were basically civilians—your baristas, your lawyers, your mechanics—who picked up rifles and stood at checkpoints. While many have since been integrated into the regular army structure, that "citizen-soldier" vibe still defines a lot of the Ukrainian spirit.
Then you have the elite units. Groups like the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade or the various Special Operations Forces (SSO) are the ones doing the heavy lifting in places like Bakhmut or the Avdiivka sector. These guys are often Western-trained, using gear that looks like it’s straight out of a modern warfare video game.
Don't forget the International Legion. This is a fascinating part of who is fighting in the Ukraine because it brings in thousands of foreigners. We’re talking about veterans from the US, UK, Poland, and even as far as South Korea and Colombia. Some are there for ideological reasons; others are "war junkies" who don't know how to live a quiet life anymore. The Ukrainian government had to get strict about this, though. They don't just take anyone with a camo jacket anymore—they want people with actual combat experience because, frankly, an untrained volunteer is just a liability on a modern battlefield where drones see everything.
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There is also the GUR, the military intelligence wing led by Kyrylo Budanov. They are the ones doing the "behind the scenes" work—sabotage, long-range drone strikes inside Russian territory, and specialized naval drone operations in the Black Sea. It's a different kind of fighting, focused on psychological impact and logistical disruption rather than just holding a trench.
The Russian Side: From Regulars to "Storm-Z"
On the other side of the wire, the Russian composition has shifted dramatically since the war began. Initially, it was the professional "contract" soldiers. But after heavy losses in the early months, Moscow had to pivot.
You've likely heard of the Wagner Group. Even after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin and the weird, short-lived mutiny, the "Wagner model" persists. This involved recruiting prisoners—violent offenders offered a pardon in exchange for six months on the front lines. These units, often called "Storm-Z," were used in "meat wave" tactics. Basically, they were sent forward to find Ukrainian firing positions by drawing fire. It’s grim. It’s heartless. And unfortunately, it’s been a part of the Russian strategy to preserve their more expensive, highly-trained paratroopers (VDV) and naval infantry.
Then there are the "mobiki"—the mobilized men. These are the Russians drafted during the partial mobilization. Their quality varies wildly. Some ended up in well-supplied units, while others posted viral videos complaining about 1950s-era helmets and lack of food.
We also have to talk about the Chechen units, often referred to as "Kadyrovites" after their leader Ramzan Kadyrov. They’ve cultivated a reputation on social media—TikTok, mostly—but military analysts like Michael Kofman have often pointed out that they frequently serve as "blocking detachments" or rear-area security rather than frontline assault troops, though that varies depending on the specific battle.
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The Role of Tech and "Invisible" Fighters
When asking who is fighting in the Ukraine, we can't just talk about people with boots on the ground. There's a massive "shadow" force of drone operators and cyber warfare specialists.
Ukraine has pioneered the use of FPV (First Person View) drones. These are piloted by guys sitting in bunkers miles away from the explosion, wearing VR goggles. It has fundamentally changed the math of the war. A $500 drone can take out a $5 million tank. These operators are often younger, tech-savvy individuals who might never see the enemy face-to-face, yet they are responsible for a huge percentage of the casualties on both sides.
And then there's the electronic warfare (EW) side. These are the "invisible" fighters. They use massive jammers to "blind" drones and disrupt radio signals. If you’re a soldier in a trench and your drone suddenly drops out of the sky, you know an EW unit is nearby. It’s a constant cat-and-mouse game of frequencies.
The Volunteers and Partisans
In the occupied territories—places like Melitopol or parts of the Kherson region—there is a whole other group: the partisans. These are Ukrainians living under Russian control who provide intelligence to the ZSU. They might spot a troop concentration, pin it on a map, and send it via an encrypted app.
- They blow up railway tracks.
- They target collaborationist officials.
- They paint Ukrainian symbols on walls to remind the occupiers they aren't welcome.
It’s incredibly dangerous work. If caught, these people don't get treated like prisoners of war; they are often treated as terrorists. Yet, they remain a vital part of the Ukrainian resistance, acting as the eyes and ears of the military in places where satellites can't see everything.
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What Most People Get Wrong
One huge misconception is that this is a "NATO war" in terms of personnel. It's not. While the equipment is often from NATO countries—think HIMARS, Leopards, and Bradleys—the people dying in them are almost exclusively Ukrainian. Russia often pushes the narrative that they are fighting "NATO legions" to explain away their lack of quick progress, but foreign volunteers make up a tiny percentage of the total force.
Another thing: the Belarusians. There is a whole unit called the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment. These are Belarusians who hate their own leader, Lukashenko, and believe that the path to a free Belarus starts with a free Ukraine. They are some of the most motivated fighters on the Ukrainian side because they feel they have no home to go back to if they lose.
The Complexity of Loyalty
There are also Russians fighting for Ukraine. The "Freedom of Russia Legion" and the "Russian Volunteer Corps" (RDK) are made up of Russian citizens who have defected or moved to Ukraine to fight against Putin’s government. They’ve even conducted raids back into Russian border towns like Belgorod. It’s surreal to see Russians fighting Russians on Russian soil, but that’s the reality of 2024 and 2025.
It shows that this isn't just a border dispute. It's an ideological war.
What You Should Watch For Next
If you want to understand the direction this is heading, don't just look at the casualty counts. Look at the recruitment patterns. Ukraine is currently debating new mobilization laws to lower the draft age because they need more bodies to rotate the exhausted men who have been fighting since day one. Russia, meanwhile, is trying to avoid another massive wave of mobilization by offering huge sign-on bonuses to the rural poor.
The "who" of the war is shifting from the enthusiastic volunteers of 2022 to a more weary, professionalized, and in some cases, forced force in 2026.
Actionable Insights for Following the Conflict:
- Verify your sources: Use sites like DeepStateMap.Live for ground truth on troop movements. It’s generally more accurate than mainstream headlines.
- Follow the OSINT community: Analysts on X (formerly Twitter) like @KofmanMichael or @Osinttechnical provide granular detail on unit movements that you won't get elsewhere.
- Look past the "Super-Weapon" hype: No single tank or missile changes the war. It’s about the "combined arms" of all these different groups working together—or failing to.
- Support the ground level: If you want to help, donate to verified organizations like "Come Back Alive" (Povernys Zhyvym). They provide the specific tech—thermal optics and drones—that these specific units actually need.
The story of who is fighting in the Ukraine is still being written, and it changes every time a new brigade is formed or a new technology hits the muddy fields of the Donbas. It’s a human story as much as a geopolitical one.