Thousands of foreign fighters joined the ranks of Ukrainian forces in 2022, some looking for a payday, others manipulated by their countries' media into believing they would be fighting for freedom against cartoonish Russian villains. The Russian MoD has warned foreigners that the rules of international humanitarian law doesn't apply to mercs.
An investigation by French media has uncovered the salaries of foreign mercenaries attached to Ukraine’s infamous International Legion, with fighters said to receive 500 euros (about $550 US) per month as a base salary, and up to 3,000 euros (about $3,300) per month when they’re on the front lines.
The report estimates that there are presently about 100 French nationals fighting in Ukraine, with their ranks slimming down considerably over the past year from as many as 800 as so-called “TikTok fighters” – who planned to go fight in Ukraine but never left France, and those who did go but quickly came back, dropped out.
International Legion fighters reportedly sign contracts with the Ukrainian army, with some complaining about having to pay out of pocket for expenses, including weapons. One anonymous fighter said an assault rifle can cost 4,000 euros ($4,400).
That’s well above the US price tag of between $600 and $1,200 for an M4S assault rifle, and may hint at the presence of wheeler-dealer arms sellers dealing in weapons donated to Ukraine by NATO countries. Some fighters reportedly set up online fundraising campaigns to pay for weapons and vehicles.
French mercs have various motivations for going to Ukraine, with at least one third of the 100 volunteers said to have far-right or neo-Nazi views.
“According to the intelligence services, more than a third of the fighters are close to the ultra-right. Some are clearly neo-Nazis and assert these ideas. Others are on file with the French security services or have fled convictions in France,” the media report said.
Some of the fighters have reportedly avoided the International Legion, integrating instead into formations affiliated with far-right volunteer units such as the so-called Misanthropic Division,* a notorious international neo-Nazi paramilitary organization based in Ukraine with a record of extremism, terrorism and war crimes in the Donbass.
Some French nationals who have fought in Ukraine have proven a headache for French authorities after coming back from the warzone. In April, two French ultra-right fighters were arrested and sentenced to six months in prison for trying to smuggle military equipment, including assault rifle magazines and rifle sights, back into France.
Last October, 14 members of France’s elite Foreign Legion were arrested while traveling to Poland to try to join the fight in Ukraine, violating a travel ban prohibiting them from leaving the country. In March 2022, an ultra-right fugitive on the run from French police over the suspected murder of Argentine rugby star Federico Aramburu was arrested on the Hungarian-Ukrainian border while trying to make his way into Ukraine.
‘Worthless Persons’
Apart from ideological motivations, some foreigners appear to be driven by idealistic visions of being able to “help” Ukrainians after being abandoned by society in their own countries.
“I am a worthless person in Japan, but I am hoping to bring back something from Ukraine,” Yuya Motomura, a mahjong parlor manager who joined the ranks of a small group of Japanese volunteers in Ukraine, told Japanese media. Motomura, whose acceptance into the Foreign Legion was eased by a colleague with ties to the Yakuza – Japan’s mafia, said he probably wouldn’t have gone if he was better off financially at home.
“I am here in this country, hoping to make use of myself. In that sense, I already feel fulfilled,” the volunteer, who has made his way to Ukraine but has yet to participate in combat, said.
Mercs who have already faced Russian forces in battle have decidedly less rosy appraisals about their purpose and role. Last week, American volunteers with combat experience in US wars told US media that “the worst day in Afghanistan and Iraq is a great day in Ukraine,” where they enjoy no emergency evac support, no air support, no artillery support, poor communications, and limited intelligence. One of the mercs has since retired from the front and now lives in Kiev, where he works to locate and transfer the remains of American fighters killed in Ukraine.
Thousands for foreign mercenaries traveled to Ukraine over the past year to fight Russia, with many since killed, captured or fleeing the country, some after witnessing the carnage of battle, others after getting disillusioned in their cause over war crimes committed by Ukrainian volunteer units, or getting tired of being used as cannon fodder by commanders.
The Russian military has warned repeatedly that foreign mercenaries fighting for Ukraine would not be considered combatants in accordance with international humanitarian law and the rules of warfare, or enjoy the status of prisoners of war.
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