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Military operation in Ukraine

Number of foreign mercenaries in Ukrainian units growing — LPR official

We hear Ukrainian or Russian speech less and less, acting head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik said

MOSCOW, November 18. /TASS/. The number of foreign mercenaries fighting on the side of the Kiev regime is currently growing which helps the Ukrainian army replenish its reserves, acting head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik told the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Thursday.

"We hear Ukrainian or Russian speech less and less. And foreign speech is heard more often among the ranks of Ukraine’s armed forces which, of course, indicates that the number of mercenaries is growing. Without a doubt, this hinders us because if only the Ukrainian armed forces were fighting then they probably wouldn’t have had such reserves and this standoff would have been over a long time ago," he said.

Earlier, LPR People’s Militia officer Andrey Marochko told TASS that foreign mercenaries make up 100% of some Ukrainian units. According to him, their exact number is difficult to calculate and this figure is constantly changing. He also noted that the mercenaries included the citizens of the former Soviet countries, NATO states as well as the "soldiers of fortune" who were spotted in such terrorist organizations as the Islamic State (outlawed in Russia).

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Military operation in Ukraine

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