Kiev has stepped up mercenary recruitment in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East amid the disruption of mobilization plans and in order to conceal the heavy losses of the country’s Armed Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"Amid the disruption of the next wave of mobilization in Ukraine and in order to conceal catastrophic losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine personnel, the Kiev regime has intensified recruitment work in Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries to attract foreign mercenaries," the ministry said.
The ministry added that since February 24, 2022, a total of 11,675 foreign mercenaries from 84 countries have officially arrived in Ukraine to participate in hostilities on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
According to officials, the largest number of mercenaries, more than 2,600 people, came to Ukraine from Poland.
hat during the Russian special military operation, over 4,800 foreign mercenaries have been eliminated, the overwhelming number of whom were from the United States, Canada and Europe.
"Another 4,801 foreign fighters escaped from Ukrainian territory after dealing with the Kiev regime's approach of them," the Russian Defense Ministry noted.
The Ukrainian government, as the ministry pointed out, uses foreign mercenaries as "cannon fodder," so they have only two choices - escape from Ukraine or die.
The ministry concluded that the recruitment of mercenaries to help Ukraine has intensified in the United States and Canada with the help of Western intelligence services.
"Due to a multiple fall in interest in dying 'for the Kiev regime' in Poland, the UK and other European countries, recruitment activities in the US and Canada have been intensified," the report said.
In this May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that NATO countries are de jure directly involved in the conflict on Kiev's side, which significantly increases the threat of a direct military clash between nuclear powers.
Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, after the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics asked for protection from Ukrainian provocations.
Western countries reacted to Russia's operation with a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow and arms deliveries to Ukraine.