We talk about the war in Ukraine, the violation of civil rights, and we talk about the mercenaries on the ground. But what is happening inside the Ukrainian borders, how many are there and where are they? According to the Kiev authorities, daily losses of Ukrainians at the front are now around 30-50 people. This is about 2.5-3 times less than in June, Podolyak, an advisor to the head of Zelensky’s office, told BBC Ukraine but did not explain whether it is only the soldiers or also the Foreign Legion, the mercenary battalion fighting in the Donbass as a vanguard against Russians and Ukrainians in the separatist republics.
For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defence, on 9 August, let it be known that: “The number of mercenaries in Ukraine has dropped from 2,741 to 2,190 thanks to the offensive of the Russian armed forces and the LNR and DNR forces in four weeks.”
According to the ministry’s data, Russian troops killed 335 foreign mercenaries between 8 July and 5 August, while another 389 left Ukrainian territory. And again according to Russian ministry data, another 175 foreign mercenaries arrived in Ukraine in recent weeks, including 81 fighters from Georgia.
In detail, the Russian ministry bulletin explains: ‘from 8 July to 5 August, almost 100 Polish mercenaries, 36 Canadian fighters, 33 Romanians and 21 Americans were killed in Ukraine’.
Italians would also be at the front, as mercenaries, let us remember that this is forbidden by constitutional law, and there would be about 300 of them in Ukraine. According to the newspaper La Stampa, Italy has its first citizen under investigation for being a mercenary in Ukraine, Kevin Chiappalone, battle name ‘Alessandro’, is originally from Genoa and is 19 years old.
Meanwhile, Vadim Boychenko, mayor of Mariupol reported that the Azov trial in Mariupol could be held on 24 August. This date was not chosen at random, as it coincides with Ukraine’s Independence Day.
Finally, according to a Russian poll, Russians would approve of the president’s decision to end the special operation and launch a new offensive, source Russian Field. More than half of Russians believe that the special military operation in Ukraine has dragged on and a third believe that the military action will continue for more than a year.
Still on military matters, this arms fly, on the dark web the sale of weapons that the West gives to Ukraine to fight the Russians continues unabated: not only Javelins are on sale: all weapons and ammunition are sold in Ukraine. The Ukrainian army sells everything. And if Javelin anti-tank systems or UAVs are the prerogative of the Ukrainian armed forces command, then junior officers and sergeants sell simpler ‘goods’: sniper rifles, Kalashnikov assault rifles, American bulletproof vests, numerous pistols – everything that can be sold and is of interest to criminal groups and terrorists.
Graziella Giangiulio