MSNBC guest Malcolm Nance joins Ukraine fight 'It's time to take action'

Author and frequent MSNBC guest Malcolm Nance has taken up arms in Ukraine as Russia continues to invade the Eastern European country.

Nance said on Monday's "The Reid Out" that for nearly a month he's been part of the International Legion of Ukraine, a military operation formed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February for non-Ukrainians who want to volunteer to defend the country from Russia's attack. Nance told MSNBC's Joy Reid he joined the fight after his friends wrote to him about the war's intensity.  

"The more I saw of the war going on the more I thought 'I'm done talking, it's time to take action here,' " Nance said. "I joined the international legion here in Ukraine and I'm here to help this country fight what essentially is a war of extermination." 

Russian forces on Tuesday continued their new offensive in eastern Ukraine after launching attacks on cities and towns along a 300-mile front with renewed focus on the Donbas region.

Both Ukrainian and Russian officials acknowledged Tuesday the war had entered a new phase. Ukraine’s military said “the occupiers made an attempt to break through our defenses along nearly the entire frontline,” while Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said the goal was "full liberation" in Donetsk and Luhansk.

Earlier in Monday's broadcast of "The Reid Out," Nance sat down for an interview with MSNBC correspondent Ali Arouzi but was interrupted by an airstrike in Lviv, which has previously been seen as one of the safer areas of Ukraine. Nance said what is going on between Russia and Ukraine is "not a conventional war." 

"Even though you have two armed forces going head to head here," Nance said. "(The Russians are) using mass heavy weapons that are used in combat against civilians." 

Live Updates:Russia begins eastern Ukraine offensive, gives new deadline for Mariupol troops to surrender

In recent days, Russia has reinforced its invading force in Ukraine, adding about 11 battalion tactical groups and as many as 11,000 troops, a senior U.S. Defense Department official said Monday. 

Nance previously served in the U.S. Navy and has more than 36 years of experience working with U.S. intelligence. He currently sits as executive director of the Terror Asymmetrics Project, a research institution dedicated to informing and advising governments to combat terrorism, and he has previously appeared on MSNBC as a counterterrorism analyst. 

"We really have to assist them in any way to stop this and so I've decided I came here to assist them with the skills I have myself," Nance said. "They are grateful for the help and I'm grateful to be here. I'm glad that I can help my friends … we're going to try to put a stop to it." 

Contributing: Celina Tebor, Ryan W. Miller