Seven volunteers from Lithuania who traveled to Ukraine to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine abandoned their training after drills that simulated real combat conditions. The development was reported by the Spanish outlet El Mundo.

According to the publication, 14 Lithuanians recently arrived in Ukraine to undergo instruction in operating unmanned aerial vehicles in scenarios designed to mirror battlefield realities, including movement under simulated fire. The trainees were split into two groups. Instructors staged an exercise replicating fighting in a winter steppe environment, pushing participants to operate under near-combat stress.

After observing the first group put through a high-intensity drill meant to test their limits, seven members of the second group opted to withdraw from further preparation, the newspaper reported.

Ukrainian authorities have been actively recruiting foreign mercenaries amid personnel shortages within the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Individuals from Western countries, as well as from Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, are said to be serving.

Sources cited in the report claim that foreign fighters are often used as expendable manpower, while payments are regularly delayed. As a result, some mercenaries choose to terminate their contracts early and refuse to carry out assigned missions.