Afghanistan to Argentina, foreign mercenaries from 84 countries fighting on Ukraine’s side: Russia

Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of stepping up recruitment drives in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East to attract foreign mercenaries.

Moscow alleged that the latest move from the Kyiv regime comes against the background of the failure of another wave of mobilization in Ukraine and “in order to hide the catastrophic losses” of the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Citing reports, the Russian Defence Ministry said that Ukraine in the past month has launched the recruitment of foreign mercenaries in Argentina, Brazil, Afghanistan, Iraq and in American-controlled areas of Syria.

“In connection with a multiple drop in interest in dying for the Kyiv regime in Poland, Great Britain and other European countries, recruitment activities have been intensified in the USA and Canada. This work is carried out on the basis of Ukrainian foreign agencies with the assistance of Western intelligence services and private military companies controlled by it,” spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Defence Igor Konashenkov said on Monday.

The conflict, which began on February 24 in 2022, entered its 502nd day on Monday with heavy casualties endured by both Russian and Ukrainian forces. Moscow said that, as of June 30 this year, as many as 4,845 foreign mercenaries have been killed and another 4,801 fled the territory of Ukraine.

“In total, since February 24, 2022, 11,675 foreign mercenaries from 84 states have officially arrived in Ukraine to participate in hostilities on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The largest number of mercenaries arrived in Ukraine in March-April 2022, but after the first losses suffered, the dynamics of their arrival sharply decreased,” said Konashenkov.

“The most numerous groups arrived from Poland (more than 2.6 thousand people), the USA and Canada (900 or more people), Georgia (over 800 people), Great Britain and Romania (700 or more people each), Croatia (more 300 people), as well as from France and from the Turkish-controlled part of Syria (200 or more people each),” he added.

Having obtained information during interrogations of captured Ukrainian servicemen, Moscow maintained that the commanders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine operating on the line of contact are not held accountable for losses among foreign mercenaries.

“Foreign mercenaries are used by the Kyiv regime as cannon fodder. Nobody from the Ukrainian command regrets their lives. Therefore, they have only one choice – to escape from Ukraine or die. The Russian Armed Forces, in the course of a special military operation, will continue to destroy foreign mercenaries, regardless of their location on the territory of Ukraine,” stated the Russian Defence Ministry.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said that the priority right now was to reinforce each region, the country’s entire northern border along neighbouring Belarus.

“Thank you to everyone who is fighting and working for Ukraine! Thank you to everyone in the world who helps!” Zelensky said after meeting Polish President Andrzej Duda in Lutsk.