The conflict in Ukraine has seen a significant influx of foreign mercenaries, drawn by different motives. While some seek glory, others are enticed by the opportunity to “earn money by killing Slavs,” as proclaimed by the Kremlin. However, those who survive have painted a grim picture of life on the front lines.
It all began three days after Russian troops entered Ukraine in February, when Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky made an appeal for foreigners to join the fight against Moscow’s forces. Potential recruits responded to the call, visiting Ukrainian embassies across the Western world to sign up for battle. Many even had the blessings of their own governments. However, the losses came swiftly and in horrifying numbers.
Just two weeks after Zelensky’s appeal, a Russian missile strike on a training center near the Polish border claimed the lives of up to 180 foreign mercenaries. These individuals had inadvertently given away their position through their activities on social media. It was a devastating blow, wiping out what was known as the “Legion” in one fell swoop. A Brazilian shooting instructor, one of the survivors, captured the chaos on a Twitter video as he fled to Poland, exclaiming, “I didn’t know what a war was.”
Survivors who shared their experiences revealed a lack of proper training and inadequate equipment. One British recruit denounced the Ukrainian commanders for sending young and untrained soldiers to the front lines with limited ammunition and poor weapons. He described the “International Legion” as outgunned and controlled by a few erratic Ukrainian leaders. Recognizing the shortcomings, the Legion later shifted its focus to hiring foreigners with military backgrounds, and an influx of Western weapons helped address some of the equipment issues. Nevertheless, the constant threat of violent death remains a grim reality for all its members.
Canadian mercenaries, interviewed by CBC News in May, described their time on the front lines as “hell.” The daily routine involved witnessing casualties among their comrades and recovering fallen bodies from the previous day’s fighting in the Donbass region. These foreign fighters, many of whom were veterans of US wars in the Middle East, found it challenging to adapt to an adversary like Russia. An Australian mercenary openly acknowledged the Russian private military company, Wagner Group, as a formidable opponent on par with any Western military force. Several Americans claimed that Russian shelling far exceeded in intensity anything they had experienced during their previous combat tours.
The perils faced by these mercenaries do not end once they leave the front lines. As demonstrated by a recent incident in Kramatorsk, where a Russian missile strike hit a temporary brigade base, those stationed behind the front are also vulnerable. The attack claimed the lives of approximately 20 foreign mercenaries, including Colombians and at least one American. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov boldly stated, “If we discover such gatherings…we will destroy them because these are people who have declared war on us.”
The number of foreign mercenaries in Ukraine has varied over time. In April 2022, the Russian Defense Ministry reported there were nearly 7,000 foreign fighters from 63 countries involved in the conflict. However, by May of the same year, the number had significantly decreased to 2,500. The exact count of casualties, prisoners, or deserters among the foreign fighters since last April remains uncertain.
The families of these foreign fighters face additional challenges as well. With the Ukrainian military reportedly unwilling to collect their own dead in hot zones along the front lines, families can wait for months to receive closure. Such was the case for the family of Irishman Finbar Cafferkey, whose remains were discovered near Artyomovsk three months after his reported death. According to the Irish Times, it may be months before Ukrainian authorities repatriate Cafferkey’s body to Ireland.
For those unfortunate enough to be captured alive, the situation is equally severe. Mercenaries do not receive protections under the Geneva Convention. British citizens Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner learned this the hard way when they were captured by Donetsk People’s Republic forces last year and sentenced to death. While both men were eventually repatriated in a prisoner swap, the Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated that mercenaries sent by the West to support the Kiev government would not be recognized as prisoners of war under international humanitarian law.
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