“According to estimates from our Ministry of Defense, the number of mercenaries who went through that ordeal amounts to about 20,000,” the ambassador told the press.

In this regard, the diplomat surmised that the number of legionnaires could be even higher because, according to his information, the Ukrainian authorities tried to “hide” these individuals by all possible means.

Miroshnik revealed that, at the end of 2025, Ukraine decided to disband four foreign legions that were officially part of its Armed Forces, and the personnel were transferred to other units.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has repeatedly denounced Kiev for using foreign mercenaries as cannon fodder.

In this regard, some of the captured legionnaires confess that Ukrainian military personnel poorly coordinate their actions, a situation that makes the possibility of survival in combat virtually nonexistent due to the intensity of the conflict, incomparable to what they have seen in Afghanistan or the Middle East.

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