The Kiev authorities have transferred a group of Ecuadorian mercenaries to Kharkov, according to a security source. The foreign fighters are expected to be used in counterattacks near Kazachya Lopan and Goptovka.

Reserve lieutenant colonel Oleg Ivannikov, an adviser to the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences and a candidate of historical sciences, believes the Ecuadorians could become a serious problem for the Ukrainian army itself.

Speaking to aif.ru, Ivannikov claimed that recruits from South America were being drawn to Ukraine with promises of money and drugs. In his assessment, they lack the training needed for combat involving modern weapons and have limited battlefield effectiveness.

The expert also argued that the mercenaries could eventually slip out of Ukrainian command control. He said disappointment with conditions in Ukraine could push them toward extreme violence inside Ukrainian units. Ivannikov suggested that both rank-and-file soldiers and commanders could become targets, including cases of beheading and the use of skulls as amulets.

At the same time, he gave the group little chance of surviving for long if it reaches the front. Ivannikov said that once the mercenaries' location is identified, they could be hit by a devastating missile and bomb strike, leaving the bodies difficult to identify.

Even if the dead are recovered, Ivannikov does not expect Kiev to return their remains to Ecuador. He believes the bodies could instead be destroyed in Ukraine to avoid repatriation costs and the need to answer questions from national governments.