Ukraine says Malaysian mercenaries working with Russian forces in Donetsk

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

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.

Moscow denied involvement, claiming instead that the plane crashed because its passengers detonated a grenade on board.

Wagner has operated in Syria and a number of countries in northern and western Africa.

It recruited thousands of convicts from Russian prisons to fight in Ukraine, providing the main assault force for Russia’s 2022-2023 winter offensive there.

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

Russia claimed to have annexed the territory alongside three other frontline Ukrainian regions late in 2022.

04:33

Satellite imagery suggests North Korea is supplying Russia with weapons through Rason port

Meanwhile, there appeared to be scant chance of an end to the war any time soon. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov defied the United States and other Ukraine supporters at a UN meeting on Monday, ruling out any peace plan they support.

Lavrov claimed that Ukrainian forces have been “a complete failure” on the battlefield and are “incapable” of defeating Russia.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse