Mercenaries from More than 30 Countries to Fight against Ukraine in Donbas

The Russian Federation uses foreign mercenaries from more than 30 countries in the war in Donbas. Today, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies investigate about 100 such foreigners.

The Deputy General Prosecutor of Ukraine Gunduz Mammedov reports this.

“The geography of the countries of mercenaries’ origin is very different and includes more than 30 countries, including France, the Czech Republic, and even Chile. The biggest number of them came from Moldova – 26, and France – 20. According to available information, from 2014 until now, foreign mercenaries were a part of various units of illegal armed groups controlled by the aggressor country, e.g., in the so-called 14th Territorial Defense Battalion “Phantom,” which is famous for its brutality,” said the prosecutor.

In the investigation interests, the names of the people involved in the cases cannot be disclosed yet.

At the same time, Mammedov noted that the media have written about some mercenaries. In particular, about the French far-right organisation “Continental Unity,” which recruits mercenaries for the Russian Federation illegal armed groups.

“We know about the special training centres establishment on the Russian Federation territory. There mercenaries’ recruitment, financing, material support, training for the use in armed conflict in Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine are carried out,” said the Deputy General Prosecutor of Ukraine.

He also added that militants from the private military company “Wagner,” who fought in Donbas and were detained in Belarus, would be prosecuted in absentia. International mechanisms can be applied to them.

Meanwhile, it became known that the EU ambassadors on Wednesday, 9 September plan to extend the sanctions against the individuals and entities responsible for the territorial integrity of Ukraine undermining. Radio ” Svoboda” correspondent Rikard Jozwiak stated this in his Twitter.

“Tomorrow, the EU ambassadors will give the green light to visa bans and the assets freezing of 175 people and 44 legal entities, which, according to the bloc, have undermined the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The extension will last for six months, as usual,” the journalist wrote.

To recap, as of the evening of 7 September, OSCE observers counted 950 violations of the cease-fire state in Donbas since the “comprehensive truce” announcement on 27 July. The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine reports stated this.

On 6 September, junior sergeant Taras Kubiyovych was killed by a sniper shot near the Krymskogo (the Novoaydar district in the Luhansk region). On 7 September, one of the two Ukrainian servicemen who had exploded a mine the day before near the settlement of Novgorodske (the Donetsk region) died in the resuscitation department.

Bohdan Marusyak