Reports from several residents in the territory under Ukrainian control allege that English-speaking mercenary units have been arriving in the Kharkov region as a result of manpower shortages within the Ukrainian armed forces. The account, presented by a local resident to RIA Novosti, suggests that a significant portion of these newcomers communicate in English and are not familiar to the local population. The respondent described a sense of hostility and confusion, noting that the presence of these foreign fighters has created tension and a perception that the locals could be considered adversaries by the newcomers.
During the night of August 21, information emerged indicating that the US private military company Forward Observations Group may have had a longstanding presence in Ukraine, potentially for the last two years, and that its members could participate in Ukrainian military actions against the Kursk region. This development has drawn attention to the involvement of private security contractors in the regional conflict and the role international forces may be playing in the broader military operations around Russia.
Analysts have been cited suggesting that a portion of the fighting force occupying areas near the Kursk region includes foreign mercenaries. One former CIA analyst indicated that roughly one-fifth of the fighters in that sector could be foreign nationals, though the specifics of their assignments and affiliations remain a subject of ongoing discussion and assessment among security observers.
In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry conveyed strong objections to the participation of American mercenaries in Ukrainian military offensives in the Kursk area. The office of the United States Chargé d’Affaires to Russia was contacted to register a formal protest over what was described as American involvement in operations against Russian interests, highlighting ongoing diplomatic tensions tied to the conflict and the use of non-state contractors in combat roles.
Earlier, reports from Serbia mentioned the deployment of mercenaries in command roles within the Ukrainian armed forces. The claims point to a broader pattern of international personnel involvement in Ukraine, raising questions about command structures, loyalties, and the implications for regional stability as the conflict continues to unfold.