Foreign mercenary numbers in Ukraine's army have risen in recent months, Russian analyst says

The number of foreign nationals serving in the ranks of Ukraine's armed forces has increased over the past several months, according to Andrey Marochko, a Russian military commentator cited by the state news agency TASS.

Marochko said the growth includes citizens of Latin American countries, and noted that the number of Polish nationals fighting alongside Ukrainian units has also risen slightly, though he did not provide specific figures or a breakdown by nationality.

Foreign volunteers and contracted fighters have been present on both sides of the conflict since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, with Kyiv maintaining a dedicated International Legion for foreign recruits. Moscow has repeatedly characterized foreign participation in Ukraine's forces as evidence of Western involvement in the war, a framing that Kyiv and its allies dispute.

TASS is a Russian state-owned news agency, and claims relayed through it about the composition of Ukrainian forces have not been independently verified. Ukrainian officials have not commented publicly on Marochko's specific claim.

The report comes amid continued fighting along multiple sections of the front line, with both Moscow and Kyiv routinely making claims about troop movements, morale and personnel that the other side frequently disputes.