Ukraine recruiting mercenaries in US, Canada, Poland with help of CIA: Russia MoD

Amid the counteroffensive that has been raging in the eastern Donbass region, Ukraine's military has ramped up the recruitment of foreign mercenaries to make up for the troop losses on the battlefield. Kyiv's regime is using the foreign mercenaries as "cannon fodder" in the war against Russia, as its troops attempt to reclaim the captured territories, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on July 9. The recruitment of mercenaries is ongoing in the US and Canada and is being facilitated by the CIA, according to Russian MoD, Sputnik reported. 

"Due to a decline in interest in dying 'for the Kyiv regime' in Poland, the UK, and other European countries, recruitment activities in the US and Canada have intensified," Russia's ministry of defence said.

Russia's military neutralised 4,845 foreign mercenaries on battlefield

Since the inception of war, Russia's forces have neutralised an estimated 4,845 foreign mercenaries, the MoD stated. Another 4,801 mercenaries escaped from Ukraine to avoid being taken as prisoners of war, it added. "Foreign mercenaries are used as 'cannon fodder' by the Kyiv regime. Their lives are not spared by anyone in the Ukrainian command," Russia's military said. "Therefore, they have only one choice - to flee Ukraine or to die. The Russian armed forces will continue to destroy foreign mercenaries in the course of the special military operation, regardless of their location on the territory of Ukraine," it added in a statement.

There are a total of 2,029 mercenaries on the Ukrainian side that continue to fight in the country's eastern flank, the Russian defense ministry said. "As of June 30, the destruction of 4,845 foreign mercenaries in the course of hostilities, the vast majority from the United States, Canada and European countries, has been reliably confirmed," it continued, adding that 4,801 foreign fighters have been identified as deserters who decided to abandon the fight due to lack of training and equipment. 

"Since February 24, 2022, a total of 11,675 foreign mercenaries from 84 countries have officially arrived in Ukraine to participate in hostilities on the side of the Ukraine armed forces. The largest number of mercenaries arrived in Ukraine in March-April 2022, but after the first losses suffered, the dynamics of their arrival sharply decreased," Russian defense ministry said. As per Moscow's estimates, most mercenaries were recruited from Poland, with approximately 2,600, followed by the US and Canada, approximately 900, Georgia over 800, UK and Romania 700 or more, Croatia more than 300 and France and the Turkish-controlled part of Syria 200," the statement read.