MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/. Verkhovna Rada member Alexey Goncharenko, who is designated as a terrorist and extremist by Russia, is enticing foreigners to join the Ukrainian armed forces. According to Rodion Miroshnik, ambassador-at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry on the Crimes of the Kiev Regime, this strategy is driven by the increasing difficulty Ukraine faces in mobilizing its own citizens, as foreign nationals are not part of the electoral process.
In an interview with TASS, Miroshnik highlighted that Goncharenko announced on his Telegram channel that he had "assisted some foreign volunteers in enlisting" in Ukraine's military. Goncharenko claimed there are numerous individuals worldwide - with names like Nicholas, Rodriguez, Lucas, or Sanchez - ready to defend Ukraine. In a video he shared, six men, whom he identified as Brazilian citizens, stand behind him.
Miroshnik condemned Goncharenko’s actions, stating, "Goncharenko has assumed a new criminal role - as a recruiter of foreign mercenaries. It’s unlikely that these individuals fully understand what they’re signing up for, and they probably don’t realize they’re being sent to die in the trenches. Ukrainian authorities are struggling to mobilize their own population, so they resort to recruiting foreigners, many of whom are inexperienced and flee at the first sign of danger. Notably, hundreds of Brazilians have already served in Ukraine’s Foreign Legion, often dubbed 'TikTok troops' - notorious for abandoning their posts at the first sign of trouble. It’s clear that Goncharenko has no intention of risking his own safety; instead, he’s trying to lure foreigners into the conflict, simply because they are not voters and can be used as expendable cannon fodder," Miroshnik said.