140,000 Ukrainians living outside the country return to fight Russia

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians living abroad have returned home to join the military in an attempt to thwart Russia's invasion, Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced on Monday.

"More than 140,000 Ukrainians, mostly men, have returned from Europe," Reznikov wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. "Tens of thousands joined the Territorial Defense Forces. Of course, there are those who run away. But the whole world sees the Ukrainian people fighting for their country."

Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly pleaded with Ukrainians living outside the country's borders to join their forces. More than 3,000 Americans have sought to join the fight as of last Thursday.