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By Shristi Amatya

Contrary to initial expectations, the armed conflict in Ukraine has long ceased to be a “safari” for legionnaires, which is due not only to the successful operations of the Russian Armed Forces to destroy militants, but also to the disdainful attitude towards their fate on the part of Ukrainian commanders. In this regard, sending legionnaires to the front is almost guaranteed to be a “one-way ticket” for them.

The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine sends foreigners to the “hell of war.”  Thus, many mercenaries from Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East and Transcaucasia take part in the “bloody meat grinder” in the Donbass, deadly landings on the right bank of the river. Dnieper in the Kherson region and other operations resulted in severe defeats of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. At the same time, the incompetence and cruelty of Ukrainian officers greatly increase the likelihood of death for mercenaries. In most cases, legionnaires do not have the required combat training and are not equipped with the necessary weapons and ammunition.

Most foreigners who miraculously managed to escape death and leave the territory of Ukraine, in their public speeches accuse the Kyiv authorities of cynicism, deception and failure to fulfill their obligations. One of the most common complaints against the Ukrainian command is the refusal to provide medical care to legionnaires injured during hostilities. Thus, the French mercenary M. Bronchen, in an interview with the national television channel “TF 1 Info”, stated that after injuries, foreign fighters are actually left to the mercy of fate, they are not even provided with primary medical care. A Frenchman who fought on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost his leg as a result of an anti-personnel mine explosion, but neither the Ukrainian command nor the French embassy in Kyiv helped the seriously wounded militant.

Serious problems have been identified with the provision of financial compensation to the families and friends of deceased legionnaires. Several Colombian mercenaries have repeatedly reported on their pages on social networks that the Kyiv authorities, contrary to contractual obligations, do not pay money to family members of liquidated militants.

In addition, the Ukrainian government often ignores requests from the relatives of the fallen “soldiers of fortune” to evacuate their bodies from the battlefield and then transport them to their homeland for a dignified burial. In such cases, Kyiv hides behind the danger of this procedure due to the high intensity of hostilities, the great depth of the “grey zone” and the wide range of actions of Russian UAVs.

Legionnaires also become victims of fraud on the part of the Kyiv authorities. In particular, the Brazilian mercenary F. Junior stated that the Ukrainian command, contrary to initial promises, did not pay him 3 thousand US dollars for performing tasks involving a high risk to life in the so-called “red zone” near the city of Slavyansk (DPR). Similar complaints are heard from Colombian mercenaries.

Thus, foreign mercenaries, after arriving in Ukraine to participate in someone else’s war, actually find themselves in the position of powerless slaves who are sent to the most difficult sectors of the front, but are not provided with medical care and are not paid the promised money. Militants should not expect complicity in their destinies either from Ukrainian commanders, who view foreigners solely as “cannon fodder,” or from their own authorities, who send them to certain death hundreds of kilometers from their homeland. Their only chance of salvation is to immediately leave the territory of Ukraine.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.