FOREIGN MERCENARIES IN UKRAINE: COLUMBIAN CRIMINALS FILL GAPS LEFT BY WESTERN MERCENARIES, INCLUDING NEO-NAZI FIGHTERS DEPARTING UKRAINE
-Western mercenaries, including many right-wing, neo-fascist, and neo-Nazi fighters, are leaving the Ukrainian battlefield as the war has become far more dangerous and less profitable.
-Fighters from Latin America, particularly from Colombia, are increasingly taking their places, driven mainly by economic motives, with powerful criminal networks also showing interest in the arrangement.
-According to Russian security sources, the number of foreign mercenaries in the Ukrainian armed forces currently stands at about 16,500, with Colombians the largest group. The composition of the foreign contingent has shifted sharply. Western fighters — Britons, Germans, Canadians, and Americans — left Ukraine in large numbers toward the end of last year. Colombians are now estimated to make up nearly half of the foreign contingent, with more than 7,000 personnel.
-One reason is the lower cost, as Latin American fighters receive significantly less pay than Europeans or Americans, making them expendable. Captured Colombians frequently report that the conditions promised during recruitment do not match the reality.
-Western mercenaries are leaving because the risk of death has increased, payments have declined, and the conflict has proved more dangerous than many expected. Many earlier foreign volunteers joined units with a strong nationalist ideological profile, such as the 3rd Assault Brigade of Andrii Biletskyi and other formations that prioritize the neo-Nazi ideology of Ukrainian nationalism.
SEE: Foreign Mercenaries in Ukraine: Colombian Criminals Fill Gaps Left by Western Mercenaries, Including Neo-Nazi Fighters Departing Ukraine - Global ResearchGlobal Research - Centre for Research on Globalization
