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Russian agency finds that 3,000 mercenaries fight on Ukrainian side

Alexander Fyodorov also said that since 2014, about 5,000 criminal investigations have been started against more than 1,000 individuals

ST. PETERSBURG, June 26. /TASS/. Russian Investigative Committee investigators established that more than 3,000 mercenaries joined the fighting on the side of Ukraine, said Alexander Fyodorov, the agency’s deputy head.

"It has been established that more than 3,000 mercenaries from more than 70 countries were recruited and took part," he said at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum.

Fyodorov also said that since 2014, about 5,000 criminal investigations have been started against more than 1,000 individuals, including representatives of Ukraine's military and political leadership, its security agencies, as well as members of nationalist groups and mercenaries. "Investigators of the Investigative Committee sent 296 criminal cases to court against 458 Ukrainian servicemen and mercenaries. The trials led to 250 convictions. Thirty-two defendants were sentenced to life in prison," he said.

TASS is the prime media partner of the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum.

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