LUGANSK, April 27. /TASS/. A group of about 100 foreign mercenaries arrived in an area in the eastern Kharkov Region of Ukraine bordering on Russia, Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) people’s militia retired Lieutenant-Colonel Andrey Marochko told TASS on Thursday.

"About 100 foreign mercenaries were observed to arrive at one of the communities bordering on Russia. All of them are clad in the same-type military uniforms and have NATO-standard M-16 small arms. Each of them also has a spacious backpack," the LPR officer said, citing Russian intelligence data.

The militants mostly communicate in English, but there is a large group speaking Polish, he added.

Marochko earlier told TASS that reconnaissance groups manned by foreign mercenaries had joined the Ukrainian army brigades in the Kupyansk area.