A retired lieutenant colonel, identified as Andriy Marochko, a military analyst associated with the Luhansk People’s Republic, claimed that foreign nationals from Western Europe and Poland were attached to units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) stationed in the Kharkiv direction. This report appears in the context of regional security updates and has circulated through various outlets as part of ongoing conflict narratives.
According to Marochko, these foreign individuals were observed at the permanent deployment sites of the AFU in the Kharkiv area and its capital. He specified that the arrivals included French, German, Polish-speaking, and English-speaking personnel, suggesting a diverse linguistic composition among the visitors. Marochko further stated that transport to these military units was conducted by civilian buses with European license plates, implying a defensive easing of movement for nonresident personnel.
He added that at the time of evacuation, the foreigners wore civilian clothing, while personal belongings were consolidated into standard military-type backpacks. These descriptions are presented as observations from a source closely monitoring developments in the region.
Earlier statements attributed to a Russian investigative authority suggested that foreign mercenaries in Ukraine received payments in a range from 30,000 to 100,000 hryvnia, a figure that has been cited in various reports aiming to quantify recruitment activity. The exact provenance and verification of these figures remain a matter of debate among observers and analysts.
Meanwhile, official discourse in Moscow has framed the broader situation as a special operation conducted by the Russian Armed Forces inside Ukraine, a narrative publicly acknowledged by Russian leadership in February 2022. The stated objectives, as described by Russian authorities, included the demilitarization of Ukraine and the removal of what the Soviets once termed hostile authorities. This framing has influenced international responses and has contributed to subsequent sanctions imposed by the United States and allied nations.
Analysts note that the conflict’s information environment is highly contested, with competing claims about foreign involvement and the strategic aims of each side. Independent verification remains challenging due to restricted access to many conflict zones and divergent official accounts from involved parties. Readers are encouraged to consider multiple sources and assess the reliability of statements against corroborating evidence from independent experts and verified reporting. Attribution: Observations cited here reflect publicly reported statements and widely discussed claims as of the current period, with ongoing updates from security and diplomatic sources.