(Dan Tri) – Russia estimates that more than 13,000 foreign tax soldiers have fought alongside the Ukrainian army during more than two years of conflict, of which nearly 6,000 have died.
Russia says more than 13,000 foreign mercenaries have come to Ukraine (Illustration: TASS).
On March 14, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a report showing that at least 13,387 foreign mercenaries came to Ukraine and fought with the Kiev army.
Poland, Ukraine’s neighbor, has been one of Kiev’s strongest supporters over the past two years.
The US, another major aid donor to Ukraine, has provided more than 1,100 mercenaries, of whom at least 491 gunmen were killed.
Third on the list is Georgia with 1,042 mercenaries from this country.
Although Georgia maintains a neutral stance on the current conflict in Ukraine, repeatedly refusing Kiev’s calls to open a second front against Russia, radical populist elements here are considered active.
Next was Canada with 1,005 mercenaries, nearly half of whom were killed.
In addition, mercenaries in Ukraine also come from England, Romania, Croatia and France.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that foreign military advisers, mercenaries and weapons entering Ukraine are legitimate targets of attack.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has entered its third year, causing great losses to all parties involved.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg estimated yesterday that more than 350,000 Russian troops were killed and wounded over the past two years.
`Russia is paying a very high price to make very small advances. On land, they have lost 350,000 troops. At sea, Ukraine’s attacks have sunk many ships and disabled a large part of the Russian Navy.
Russia has not commented on this NATO assessment but has repeatedly affirmed that Russia’s losses were much lower than Ukraine’s.
Late last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 31,000 soldiers in this country had died since Russia’s special military operation took place.
The number Mr. Zelensky gave is significantly different from the data published by the New York Times in August 2023.