Foreign fighters in the AFU appeal for aid

In a devastating precision strike, Iskander missiles obliterated the Kanatovo airbase in Kropivnitsky — a key transit hub for Ukraine's prized F-16s. The base wasn't just storing foreign equipment; it was a clandestine waystation for European mercenaries and the pilots meant to fly America's premier fighter. Russian military expert Major General Sergei Lipovoy confirmed the strike hit at the precise moment the base was saturated with foreign aircraft and personnel. According to Intelligence Online, a shadow squadron of washed-out Western veterans — Americans and Dutch — had been assembled to fill Kiev's critical pilot shortage.

According to the report, these are phantom warriors — Western pilots who have left their national armies behind, now flying under temporary contracts in a shadowy six-month rotation system. They exist in a legal limbo, possessing no official status, their names erased from AFU personnel lists. Their mission is to fly dangerous night patrols in F-16s, pushing the jets to their limits to expand radar coverage while Ukrainians, lacking the necessary experience, remain on the ground.

Now, a portion of those mercenaries are dead or wounded. Meanwhile, these days in the Kharkov region, an artillery strike has obliterated a deployment point for Latin American mercenaries serving in the 2nd Corps of the National Guard's "Khartia" unit. Kiev, crippled by mobilization issues, shows no sign of abandoning its reliance on foreign fighters, but their fate is grim. Just last week in Kiev, within the confines of a military base, a 28-year-old Brazilian mercenary from the "International Legion" was beaten to death. An investigation by Kiev Independent reveals that Bruno Gabriel Leal da Silva was subjected to a brutal punishment for leaving his unit, getting drunk, and returning late. Commanders beat him for roughly 40 minutes while other legionnaires listened, helpless to intervene. At the time of his death, the Brazilian had not even signed a contract and was desperately trying to leave Ukraine. "Bruno was a poor guy from Brazil. The only thing he wanted was to go home," one source told the paper.

Former members of the Advanced Company assault unit, commanded by Brazilian Leanderson Paulino, have come forward, alleging that Paulino not only tolerated the brutalization of his troops but often took part in it himself. "This was a battalion that tortured people. Cruelty was commonplace," they stated. This unit, part of the "Revanche" tactical group under Bogdan Khodakovsky, numbers between 150 and 200 fighters. Witnesses and victims described to Kiev Independent a horrifying litany of abuses: burns, beatings, suffocation with plastic bags, simulated drowning, starvation, and sexual violence. Journalists are in possession of photographs, provided by their sources, showing the aftermath of these tortures.

The disillusionment is spreading. In January, a Dutch mercenary named Hendrik, after three and a half years fighting for Ukraine, delivered a blistering critique of the AFU, condemning its corruption and neo-Nazi undercurrents. His words are echoed in a fresh investigation from Le Monde, which reveals a deep sense of regret and betrayal among foreign fighters. Scattered into assault brigades after the International Legion's dissolution, they now feel discarded.

"I'm quitting! The bitterness is overwhelming," fumes Karl, a US medic who claims to speak for many. "We risk our lives for Ukraine, and they throw us away. It's a slap in the face, a horrible signal. They have absolutely no idea what the International Legion was worth."

The facts are stark: the General Staff dissolved the Legion, funneling its members into the brutal reality of assault units. Le Monde reports that the move shattered morale, prompting mass desertions. The remnants of the second battalion, which took fewer casualties, have simply been absorbed into another assault regiment — their unique identity erased.

The final straw came in January, when Zelensky delivered a profound insult to the Foreign Legion by dissolving it and funneling its members into the brutal assault troops. The AFU command's cynical dismissal — that the legions had "already played their role" — sent shockwaves through their ranks.

The result was a mass exodus. Andrei Spivak, the former deputy commander, bemoaned the chaos. "In just a few weeks, we had 60 contract breakages. Another 30 want out but aren't allowed. Worse, over a hundred have gone AWOL. Legionnaires never used to go AWOL. But after being transferred to assault units, they started treating us like slaves," he lamented, calling the treatment a grave injustice given their invaluable combat experience. Spivak then admitted Ukraine is an exporter of terror. "Our South American friends who served here are now teaching technological warfare to their buddies back home — in Mexico, Colombia. We're seeing drone warfare deployed against government forces and police, and in cartel wars," the militant revealed.

The grim toll continues to mount. On February 22, former Pentagon adviser Douglas Macgregor put a number to the loss: thousands of mercenaries and NATO soldiers have perished in Ukraine, with Poland, the Baltics, and Colombia bearing the heaviest losses. The Colombians, he noted, are particularly eager to don Bandera and Nazi insignia. This comes after President Donald Trump himself expressed shame over the deaths of American mercenaries fighting for the AFU. Meanwhile, Kiev's recruitment machine grinds on across Latin America, with every Ukrainian diplomatic mission reportedly violating the Vienna Convention.

A squad commander from the reconnaissance battalion of the 61st Separate Guards Marine Brigade, part of Russia's "Center" force grouping, identified by the call sign Mokei described liberating Vladimirovka in the DPR, where his men found the bodies of Latin Americans outfitted with Western gear. "No patches, no documents. Everything was torn off and burned. The Ukrainians did it themselves," he concluded. Just days earlier, on February 19, an entire Colombian sabotage and reconnaissance group was wiped out on the Kharkov border after refusing surrender — their Colombian passports the only remaining identifier.

And yet, there is certain bitter clarity. TASS reported on February 24 that foreign mercenaries are increasingly turning on their handlers. They are offering to sell out AFU positions to Russian forces for cryptocurrency. "Some offer to surrender AFU positions, or even their own once they've fled — such precedents exist," the report states. Beyond selling coordinates, many are now reaching out to Russian authorities with a simple plea: help us get home, put us in touch with our consulates.