Russia announced that its troops have eliminated nearly 6,000 foreign volunteers who were fighting alongside Ukraine since Moscow’s full-scale invasion over two years ago.
The Defense Ministry reported that since February 2022, a total of 13,387 “foreign mercenaries” from various countries have participated in the conflict in Ukraine. Among them, Russian troops claim to have killed 5,962 volunteer fighters.
According to the Defense Ministry’s statistics, the highest casualties were reported among volunteers from Poland, with 1,497 out of 2,690 fighters reported killed. Additionally, Russian forces purportedly eliminated 561 fighters from Georgia, 491 from the United States, 422 from Canada, 360 from Britain, 349 from Romania, 147 from France, and 88 from Germany.
In response to Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the formation of an international territorial defense legion comprising foreign fighters supporting Kyiv.
Notable foreign units include the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Georgian Legion, and the Belarusian Kastus Kalinouski Regiment.
Russia’s military reportedly continues to recruit foreign volunteers, including individuals from African nations, Cuba, Nepal, and India, to bolster its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
