Ukraine says Malaysian mercenaries working with Russian forces in Donetsk

The Ukraine National Resistance Centre said the hired guns were accompanied by a translator and a former Wagner member at a training ground in Donetsk

The region has seen some of the worst fighting of Russia’s nearly two-year invasion

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A Ukrainian serviceman repairs a self-propelled howitzer in the Donetsk region on January 21. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:41pm, 25 Jan 2024

Malaysians have been spotted as mercenaries operating in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, the Ukraine National Resistance Centre said.

The centre – which is run by the Ukraine government’s Special Operations Forces – said that these mercenaries were accompanied by a translator and a former member of the Wagner Group at a training ground in the area.

It added that Malaysians were not the only nationality seen operating in the area, as Cubans, Nepalese, Belarusians, Serbs and representatives of other countries have also been repeatedly seen alongside Russian armed forces.

The centre then said that anyone fighting along Russians against Ukraine is a military target and called on the local population to continue reporting information about the enemy.

Foreign volunteers – including some from the far-right – have flowed into Ukraine since the early months of the conflict.

The Wagner Group officially known as PMC Wagner is a Russian state-funded private military company controlled until 2023 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.