The Foreigner Group

by Carolus Löfroos

Much has been said and written about the Azov Regiment, the now infamous volunteer unit formed during the long war in the Donbas. Amid the allegations and sensationalism from both Western and Russian media stands this unique first-hand account of what life was like in the notorious independent battalion.
In The Foreigner Group, Swedish volunteer Carolus Löfroos offers in vivid detail his experience from 2014 to 2015 among the motley crew of Azov's foreign fighter wing. Löfroos' insight covers the period from the Euromaidan protests to the rocket attacks on Mariupol, all the way to the skirmishes in post-Soviet backwater villages like Shyrokyne, until the cease-fire agreement in 2015. Contained in this account is an invaluable piece of history which details the long war in the Donbas, setting the stage for the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War-the latter cannot be fully understood without knowledge of the former.
Antelope Hill is privileged to present Carolus Löfroos' colorful war memoir to an international audience. This book provides key insights into an epoch-defining conflict.

348 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2022

Reviews

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been trying to read as many books about the current war in Ukraine as possible and I will continue with this, I will also try to read from as many point of views as possible. This book The Foreigner Group by Carolus Löfroos is however a book that deals from the time back in 2014-2015 when Russia annected the Crimean peninsula. We get to follow Löfros as he decides to go and do what he can for Ukraines freedom serving in the Azov regiment. This is his third army to serve in having previously served in both Finland and Sweden. The book is very detaild about the realities of fighting and that a lot of the time is spent waiting. It also tells a lot about the difficulties volounteers have serving in a country where you don't know the language. I found the book very interesting and I can really recommend it if you like do dig deep into all aspects of Russias aggression against this country. The book is out in Finnish, Italian and English. I was lucky enough to get a signed copy directly from the author. He is also rather active on social media.

[Shortsman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antelope Hill could've done a whole lot of a better job editing this, it's very clearly pretty much a direct translation of his Swedish original manuscript. There are many sentences which sound weird in English, but they make a lot of sense if you translate them word for word into Swedish. This is exactly what a good translator should make sure doesn't happen.

But I still recommend it, the stories make up for the lacking English.

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece!

Carolus takes the reader on a thrilling, emotional roller coaster ride with his stories as a soldier during the first years of Russia´s war on Ukraine.

Carolus writes about his experience as an infantry soldier without any filters. His stories are brutally honest, bone chillingly scary, amazingly exciting, terrible sad and eye wateringly funny.

Carolus is a good writer, has a unique and personal language which make this book a must read.
Anyone above the age of 15 who is even remotely interested in Russia´s war on Ukraine, human mentality, human bravery and cowardice, life as an infantry solider and amazing and crazy war stories will thoroughly enjoy reading this book.

There are many battle stories but focus is also given to the people in the Azov regiment, their characteristics, the camaraderie in the group and their adventures together outside the battlefield.

In recent years many books have been written by former special forces soldiers with Bravo Two Zero setting the standard. The Foreigner Group is different since it shows a much wider perspective of infantry war and what soldering is. Most importantly, Carolus masters the language well which sets him apart from most of the top selling former special forces authors.

The Foreigner Group deserves international recognition and a world wide audience.

[Daniel Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining, and quite introspective, account of one man's experience volunteering for the Azov battalion and the characters around him.

[Patrik Åkerlund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting reading! No glamour! You follow the foreigner group through boredom, training and battle! Well written and easy to read! I really recommend it!