The Return of Carl Glees to Ukraine
A British volunteer fighter known by the call sign Jordi, Carl Glees lost a limb in Ukraine’s Sumy region, secretly left a hospital in Germany, and made his way back to the Ukrainian Defense Forces. In March 2025, he officially rejoined the military while using a prosthetic and is now preparing to serve as a combat instructor in the Zaporizhzhia area.
Glees, 41, is a member of the International Legion of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, he ran a construction business in the United Kingdom. He has prior military experience and served in the Iraq war. Arriving in Ukraine as a volunteer in early 2025, he fought on the Zaporizhzhia and Sumy fronts.
Military Service and Personal Losses
In June of last year, Glees was engaged in a six-hour firefight when he stepped on a mine. After being wounded, he was evacuated to Kyiv and later sent to Germany for treatment under the care of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation. However, Glees secretly left the German medical facility and headed back to Ukraine with a friend, despite the legion command not authorizing his return.
Glees had met a woman from Kyiv named Olha just a few months before his injury. His close comrades, Grizzly and Stall, were killed in the war. In March of this year, the foreign fighter officially returned to duty with a prosthetic limb. He is currently completing his final training phase in Kyiv and will soon deploy to Zaporizhzhia to work as a military instructor.
Carl Glees has no plans to go back to the United Kingdom. In an interview, he recalled:
'I just looked down and saw the top of my boot and nothing else. So I immediately knew I had been hit by either a mine or an improvised explosive device.'He also emphasized:
'It’s just a leg—everything else is fine, life goes on.'
Meanwhile, Jaime, a Colombian volunteer with the call sign Tornado, serves in the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade Magura and has held a combat position in the Sumy region for over 110 days.
Carl Glees’ return to Ukraine after a severe injury stands as a testament to the resilience and dedication of foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine’s independence. His determination to continue the fight despite losing a limb underscores the critical need for training and support for new soldiers amid the ongoing conflict. This story also highlights the personal sacrifices and hardships faced by many volunteers who remain on the front lines to defend the country.