Spiegel: mercenaries announced orders from commanders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to rob stores

Mercenaries from the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) complained about the Ukrainian command, writes German magazine Spiegel. Commanders gave them suicide missions, often without training and reinforcements or evacuation. In this regard, some mercenaries decided to refuse cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and leave the country, the magazine reports.

In particular, the article refers to a case near the city of Nikolaev, when the Russian military began to fire at the positions of a detachment of foreigners. At the same time, the remaining members of the unit retreated, leaving them alone. “We were literally abandoned and they didn’t want to evacuate us,” one of the soldiers was quoted as saying. In addition, the mercenaries were ordered to return the position discovered by the Russian army. As a result, four foreigners were killed, several were wounded, and one was taken prisoner.

Legion fighters also spoke about cases of looting and arms trafficking. “The soldiers of my unit were supposed to break into the mall to collect furniture, electronics and other valuables,” one of them said. Another foreigner confirmed his words, noting that he was ashamed to follow such orders from Ukrainian commanders.

According to Spiegel magazine, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed receipt of complaints from foreigners and reported that they were being forwarded to law enforcement agencies.

Earlier, foreign mercenaries who fought on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces called fighting in Ukraine hell. As the military, who have previously visited Iraq and Afghanistan, noted, Russian troops have superior aviation and artillery forces, which is why their enemy suffers significant losses.

The International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine consists of two divisions, one of which is supervised by the Ground Forces of Ukraine, the other by the intelligence department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The accusations, writes the magazine, relate to the unit under the control of the Ukrainian military department. It is specified that this unit has up to 500 members and makes up about a third of the entire legion.

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, 7107 mercenaries from 65 countries fought on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Taking into account losses and departures, on July 12, their number was 2741 people.

The article reports on one of the unit commanders as a frequent object of complaints. This is a certain Sasha Kuchinsky, a former member of a criminal gang from Poland, where he is wanted for fraud. According to the publication, his real name is Piotr Kapuscinski. In Ukraine, he was also prosecuted by law enforcement for robbery, sexual assault and illegal handling of weapons, but he managed to avoid punishment by joining the army.

On February 27, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced the creation of an international legion in the country to recruit foreign volunteers. For foreigners participating in hostilities, Kyiv introduced a visa-free regime.