| German Volunteer Corps | |
|---|---|
| Німецький Добровольчий Корпус Nimetsʹkyy Dobrovolʹchyy Korpus Deutsches Freiwilligen Korps | |
.png) Unit chevron | |
| Active | 2023[1] – present |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Branch |  International Legion of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (until 2025)49th Infantry Battalion (since 2025) |
| Type | Foreign volunteer unit |
| Role | Light infantry |
| Size | ~10 |
| Motto | Always Faithful |
| Engagements | |
| Website | Official Telegram channel |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | "Stepan" |
| Insignia | |
| Logo (until 2025) |  |
| Flags |   |
TheGerman Volunteer Corps (Ukrainian:Німецький Добровольчий Корпус,romanized: Nimetsʹkyy Dobrovolʹchyy KorpusGerman:Deutsches Freiwilligenkorps) was a volunteer unit composed of German national volunteers, part of theMain Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine.[not verified in body] The unit has coordinated with various other Ukrainian military units under the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine, such as theRussian Volunteer Corps, theFree Russia Legion, and thePolish Volunteer Corps in Ukraine.[1] GVC was incorporated into the49th Infantry Battalion in April 2025.[5][6]
Since the outbreak of theRussian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, many German nationals have travelled to Ukraine to fight for bothRussia andUkraine. Many of these, reportedly by theFederal Ministry of the Interior, have been affiliated withleft and right-wing extremism.[7] According to a report by German news outlet Welt, approximately 39 people left Germany with the intention of participating in the conflict. 27 of these people were reportedly pro-Russian, and the remaining 12 were pro-Ukrainian. Additionally, it was also said that German authorities had significant proof of the majority of these people participating incombat.[8]
Other German nationals, unaffiliated with extremism have also joined the conflict. There have been a number of ex-soldiers, notably some being ex-servicemen from the GermanBundeswehr, who have joined other structures within theUkrainian Armed Forces such as theInternational Legion - belonging to theTerritorial Defense Forces.[7][9]
It was reported by Militant Wire that theGerman Volunteer Corps was formed in June 2023, being within the structure of theRussian Volunteer Corps which trains, organises, and endorses them also.[1] The unit was formed on the basis by German nationals as well as external help from the Russian Volunteer Corps.[1]
The German Volunteer Corps, according toJunge Welt, allegedly have connections and ties or otherwise similar ideological perspectives and viewpoints to theThird Way political party.[10] This political party, also commonly referred to as the Third Parth, is known to be a far-right and neo-Nazi political party having ties with theNational Corps, theMisanthropic Division,Right Sector, andSvoboda in Ukraine.[11][12][13] The unit has a significant relation to units affiliated within the Russian Volunteer Corps, due to German Volunteer Corps being part of its structure.[1] RAND Corporation have also confirmed the cooperation between several volunteer units in Ukraine, notably the Russian, Polish and German volunteer corps.[14]
The Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium reported that the German Volunteer Corps was considered as a "right-wing extremist group", most likely due to its affiliation and endorsement of extremist ideas and ideologies alongside the Russian Volunteer Corps.[15][unreliable source?][16][17]
in April 2025, the GVC was incorporated into the49th Infantry Battalion.[5][6]
The unit, alongside the Russian Volunteer Corps for which they fight in cooperation with, has fought in several hotspots along the frontline during the invasion - notably in areas such asAvdiivka which fell to Russian forces in late February 2024.[18] It has been confirmed by German outlet Junge Welt that the unit has also participated in theBelgorod Incursions of 2023.[10]
Part of theRusso-Ukrainian war (2022–present) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military engagements |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| War crimes |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reactions |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Impact |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key people |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Related | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg)
