NATO Soldiers Fighting in Ukraine Under Guise of Mercenaries - MoD

Earlier, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that since the beginning of the special operation, the Russian Armed Forces had eliminated more than 5,800 foreign mercenaries.

NATO soldiers under the guise of mercenaries are involved in combat operations in Ukraine, Colonel-General Sergei Rudskoy, head of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate, said in an interview with Russian media.

"NATO servicemen are involved in combat operations under the guise of mercenaries. They operate air defense complexes of operational-tactical missiles and multiple rocket launchers, and are part of assault troops," Rudskoy said.

According to him, NATO officers "directly" prepare military operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Defense Ministry earlier said that amid the disruption of mobilization plans and in order to conceal massive losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Kiev, in coordination with the CIA, has intensified the recruitment of mercenaries. Fighters from the United States, Canada, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East have joined the ranks of the Ukrainian military.