DPR Head Claims Many German, US and French Mercenaries Fighting for Ukraine

Denis Pushilin, the head of the Russian-installed administration in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), has claimed that many German, American and French mercenaries are fighting alongside Ukrainian armed forces, according to Russian state media.

Pushilin attributed the presence of foreign fighters to two main factors: personnel shortages within Ukraine's military and the foreigners' own financial motivations to earn money through combat service. The claim has not been independently verified.

Unverified Claims Amid Ongoing Conflict

Pushilin's remarks reflect a narrative frequently advanced by Russian and Russian-backed officials regarding the composition of Ukraine's fighting forces. Ukraine has previously acknowledged that foreign volunteers, including from Western countries, serve within units such as the International Legion, though the specific nationalities and numbers described by Pushilin were not independently confirmed.

The DPR, along with the neighboring self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, has been at the center of the conflict since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and officials from the Russian-installed administrations there have regularly issued public statements characterizing the war's dynamics from Moscow's perspective.

No further details, such as specific numbers of foreign fighters or their units, were provided in the available reporting attributed to Pushilin.