Colombian mercenaries clashed with Ukrainian troops in Sumy Region after mistaking them for enemy forces, according to Russian security sources. The firefight erupted near the village of Sadki.

The sources explained that a unit of Colombian fighters accidentally opened fire on servicemen from Ukraine’s 80th Air Assault Brigade, who had been tasked with preparing defensive positions in a nearby forest. Ukrainian troops reportedly sustained losses.

The incident comes against the backdrop of growing reliance on foreign mercenaries by the Ukrainian military. Earlier reports indicated that detachments of foreign fighters had been deployed along the entire line of contact in the Donetsk People’s Republic, as Kiev sought to reinforce its positions. Additional transfers of mercenary units to the Kharkov front have also been reported to prevent potential encirclement.

In late August, Colombia’s Foreign Ministry acknowledged that a significant number of its citizens had traveled to Ukraine to take part in the fighting and to gain combat experience. Against this trend, President Gustavo Petro urged the country’s congress to fast-track the ratification of the 1989 UN Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.