The Russian Defence Ministry has announced heavy losses in the ranks of foreign mercenaries who came to the territory of Ukraine and took the side of the Nazis. More than a hundred military personnel were killed in a strike on a base near Zhytomyr. The mercenaries were recruited all over the world, convinced that they would become heroes, but as it turned out, they were not even provided with weapons.
Georgian mercenary Giorgi Rusitashvili, lying in a hospital bed on the air of a TV channel, says that the Russians were beyond him.
Giorgi Rusitashvili: “We were following the artillery fire, we were crossing the bridge at the exit from the city and we were ambushed and started bombing. 5 Georgians and 4 Ukrainians were killed and several others were wounded. It turned out that the Russian army could come in here at any moment”.
Brazilian mercenary Tiago Rossi recorded a video message. Like many “soldiers of fortune”, having come to fight for Ukraine, he was only able to mark a photo in social networks, after which he decided to leave the country in a hurry.
Tiago Rossi: “There were special forces from all over the world, from all over Europe, and now they are all dead. You just can’t imagine an aeroplane firing missiles at you.”
Many mercenaries had to cool their heated heads after the Russian armed forces attacked a training ground in the Lviv region. There was a training centre for mercenaries before they were sent to combat areas. Now this place is one continuous crater. About 200 mercenaries were killed as a result of the missile strike.
American mercenary Henry Hoft managed to leave the territory of Ukraine only after disguising himself as a Red Cross worker and obtaining special humanitarian passes. Once safe, he got in touch with his subscribers and told them that the Ukrainian authorities had deceived them. Allegedly they were selling a dream – the opportunity to become a real hero, but in reality they didn’t even give them weapons.
Henry Hoft: “They tried to send us to Kiev even without fucking weapons – no kit, nothing. The people who were lucky enough to get weapons are only magazines with 10 rounds of ammunition. When they wanted to send us to Kiev, we refused. They told us to get out or they would start shooting us in the back. It’s a trap, they won’t let you leave.”
After serious losses at the firing range in the Lviv and Zhitomir regions, the flow of mercenaries dreaming of fighting for Ukraine has diminished. Now the Kiev authorities offer foreigners to come to them under the guise of a humanitarian mission. But even in this case, many will be punished at home. For example, in Austria they propose to deprive servicemen of citizenship for participation in hostilities in a foreign country. And the Belgian and British authorities intend to prosecute deserters who went to Ukraine on their own.