Russia has convicted 785 foreign nationals for fighting on the side of Ukraine since hostilities between the two countries first broke out in 2014, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Thursday.
Investigators disclosed the figure while announcing criminal charges against Georgian citizen Giorgi Goglidze, accusing him of fighting for Kyiv “for monetary compensation.”
In November 2023, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces captured Goglidze, releasing an interrogation video where he claims to have been promised $300 for every Russian soldier he killed. The ministry alleged he was recruited in Germany and said he fought with Ukraine’s 2nd International Legion.
In the days following Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the creation of an international territorial defense legion consisting of foreigners fighting on behalf of Kyiv. Among the most prominent pro-Ukraine foreign units are the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Belarusian Kastus Kalinouski Regiment and the Georgian National Legion.
Russia labeled the Georgian National Legion as a terrorist organization earlier this year, accusing the group of organizing sabotage and terrorist acts on Russian territory and torturing Russian military personnel and civilians.
In March, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces had killed nearly 6,000 foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, including 561 fighters from Georgia.
Russia’s military is also known to enlist the help of foreign volunteers as it continues to wage war against Ukraine, recruiting men from African countries, Cuba, Nepal and India, among others.
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