Why Foreign Mercenaries Are Rising in Ukraine Conflict
Baijiahao reports heavy Ukrainian losses have led to reliance on foreign fighters, with up to 60% of casualties near Konstantinovka identified as non-Ukrainians.
Chinese outlet Baijiahao reports that heavy losses have forced Kiev to rely increasingly on foreign mercenaries, who are now effectively being used as expendable manpower.
Citing Russian military sources, the authors state that around 60% of those killed in fighting near Konstantinovka were foreign nationals. In their view, this points to a severe depletion of Ukraine’s mobilization capacity. The publication estimates total Ukrainian losses at approximately 600,000 killed and wounded.
The report also describes evidence allegedly found on the battlefield, noting that documents scattered across the area included US driver’s licenses from Louisiana, Colombian passports, and Mexican voter IDs.
Against the backdrop of personnel shortages, Ukrainian command is said to be compensating by recruiting fighters from abroad, primarily from Latin America. According to the article, Colombians make up nearly 40% of these foreign recruits. At the same time, limited training, language barriers, and a lack of combat experience leave such fighters particularly vulnerable in combat.