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Ukraine Says 20,000 Mercenaries Coming Soon, But Who Are They? | SINDOnews

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Ukraine Says 20,000 Mercenaries Coming Soon, But Who Are They?
Ukraine is now relying on mercenaries when its troops are crushed by the Russian military. Photo/epa

Many countries reacted warily as the Ukrainian government sought its citizens for an “international legion” of mercenaries in the struggle against the Russian army.

Nearly 20,000 foreign mercenaries want to fight alongside Ukraine’s crippled military ranks, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

On Sunday (6/3/2022), the Ukrainian regime announced the opening of a website for mercenaries hoping to “help Ukraine”.

Read also: Russia is accused of recruiting Syrians for war in Ukraine

The latest move comes in a growing campaign to turn to foreign fighters for what Ukraine considers “defense of the homeland.”

Also read: Russian Intel: Terrorists Sent to Donbass, Trained at US Al-Tanf Base

It is not clear how many, if any, weapons and mercenaries have entered Ukraine, but on Friday, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service warned, “The US and UK intelligence services in recent weeks have de facto turned Polish territory into a ‘logistics hub.’ used to supply weapons and smuggle fighters.”

Also read: At a secret location, Ukrainian President Zelensky admits he is deeply disappointed in Israel

According to Russia, the mercenaries include Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists from Syria who were reportedly trained at the Al-Tanf military base belonging to the United States (US).

Poland has emerged as one of the leading logistics hubs for weapons sent by European countries to the remnants of Ukraine’s shattered military after a week and a half of shelling by Russian armed forces.

But the full implications of the mercenary flow into the conflict are not yet clear. This is a new phenomenon spurred by Ukraine’s suspension of visa requirements for foreign fighters.

Only time will tell what could emerge from the apparent willingness of certain countries to be used as a basis for hostilities with Russia.

On Sunday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken publicly encouraged Polish authorities, telling CNN that, “The US strongly supports Poland in providing Ukraine with MiG, SU, aircraft that can be flown by Ukraine.”

But, at least so far, Poland seems to have refused to take the extremely dangerous pass.

Just hours after Russian defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov explained that any decision by neighboring countries to offer Ukraine the use of their airfields (or facilitate the so-called No-Fly Zones) could be considered as complicity by these countries in an attack of armed conflict.

Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the possibility, denouncing the allegations as “fake news” tweets by Nexta, an anti-Russian outlet allegedly US-funded and founded by a Belarusian blogger who reportedly fought alongside the notorious neo-Nazi Azov battalion in Ukraine. .

“Unfortunately, Nexta is spreading misinformation. Poland will not send its fighter jets to #Ukraine,” the Polish Foreign Ministry said.

Poland will also not allow Ukraine to use its airport. “We significantly helped in many other areas,” added the Polish Foreign Ministry.

But Poland is not the only country facilitating the entry of mercenaries into the war-torn region.

A number of foreign fighters seized the opportunity to help unite the so-called “International Legion” of mercenaries that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had requested, with recruits from the US, Canada and Japan.

The mercenaries, according to some media, were offered a check of $60,000/month. The amount is certainly very tempting.

But not everyone is happy with the Ukrainian regime’s efforts to involve its citizens in a highly political global conflict.

Algeria ordered the Ukrainian embassy to remove from its Facebook page an advertisement urging “foreign nationals” to contact the embassy and “join the fight against the Russian invaders and protect the security of the world.”

A source at Algeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly told Algerian news website TSA that the post “violates the provisions of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations between countries.”

Senegal was forced to take a similar stance after the Ukrainian Embassy made a call for mercenaries, demanding the request be “withdrawn immediately” and insisting that “any procedures for registering Senegalese or foreign nationals” be stopped “without delay.”

And even Britain, one of the Ukrainian regime’s most vocal supporters on the international stage, had to stop Foreign Secretary Liz Truss’ attempts to persuade British citizens to join as mercenaries.

On Sunday, the head of Britain’s armed forces Admiral Tony Radakin said it was “unlawful and unhelpful” for Britons to fight against Russia in Ukraine.

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