MSNBC contributor Malcolm Nance explains why he's fighting for Ukraine in its international legion

Malcolm Nance, a former Navy intelligence officer and longtime counterterrorism and national security analyst for MSNBC, revealed Monday night that he has joined the Ukrainian military's international legion. Nance is executive director of the Terror Asymmetrics Project think tank, but he "is not a contributor" at MSNBC anymore, a spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter on Monday night.

Nance appeared both in and out of uniform on MSNBC Monday, and he explained on Monday night's Reid Out why he joined Ukraine's fight.

"I spent quite a bit of time here in the prewar period, and when the invasion happened, I had friends who were in Donatz, who were in the Ukrainian army," Nance told host Joy Reid. "The more I saw of the war going on, the more I thought, 'I'm done talking, all right? It's time to take action here.' So about a month go I joined the international legion here in Ukraine, and I am here to help this country fight, you know, what essentially is a war of extermination. This is an existential war, and Russia has brought it to these people, and they are mass-murdering civilians. And there are people here, like me, who are here to do something about it."

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The Russian troops are "barely attacking" Ukrainian forces, Nance said, "Their emphasis seems to be the mass murder of civilians, which is against all laws of war — these are war crimes. So believe me, the international legion here — which is a violable, strong combat force, which is out on the line — no one's going around asking whether you're Asian, or you're Catholic, or you're Jewish, whether you're actually helping the people of Ukraine. They are grateful for the help, and I'm grateful to be here. I'm glad that I can help my friends."

"The international legion is one of the best-kept secrets in the country," Nance told The Daily Beast late Monday. "That's the story. They were higher-level people than I am," and "I really can't tell you how diverse a group it really is. It is literally a multinational force of men and women who are here to defend Ukraine."

"I was very touched when I met the first platoon and saw they were here for the right reasons," Nance added. "They were not here just to get guns."