Russian Defense Ministry said that Kiev has stepped up recruitment of mercenaries in the US and Canada, facilitated by the CIA and private military companies controlled by it.
"Due to a decline in interest in dying 'for the Kiev regime' in Poland, the UK, and other European countries, recruitment activities in the US and Canada have intensified," the ministry said.
The Kiev regime uses foreign mercenaries as "cannon fodder," the Russian Defense Ministry added.
"Foreign mercenaries are used as 'cannon fodder' by the Kiev regime. Their lives are not spared by anyone in the Ukrainian command. Therefore, they have only one choice - to flee Ukraine or to die. The Russian armed forces will continue to destroy foreign mercenaries in the course of the special military operation, regardless of their location on the territory of Ukraine," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Russian defense ministry said on Monday that a total of 4,845 foreign mercenaries have been destroyed during the special military operation, while another 4,801 mercenaries escaped from Ukraine.
"As of June 30, the destruction of 4,845 foreign mercenaries in the course of hostilities, the vast majority from the United States, Canada and European countries, has been reliably confirmed," the ministry said, adding that 4,801 foreign fighters escaped from the territory of Ukraine after mistreatment from Kiev.
A total of 2,029 mercenaries continue to fight on the side of Ukraine military, the ministry said.
"Since February 24, 2022, a total of 11,675 foreign mercenaries from 84 countries have officially arrived in Ukraine to participate in hostilities on the side of the Ukraine armed forces. The largest number of mercenaries arrived in Ukraine in March-April 2022, but after the first losses suffered, the dynamics of their arrival sharply decreased," the ministry said.
Most of the mercenaries arrived in Ukraine from Poland, the statement said.
"The most numerous groups came from Poland (more than 2,600 people), the US and Canada (900 or more people), Georgia (over 800 people), UK and Romania (700 or more people each), Croatia (more than 300 people), as well as from France and the Turkish-controlled part of Syria (200 or more people)," the statement read.
Ukrainian commanders on the front line are not held accountable for losses among foreign mercenaries, this information was reported by Ukrainian prisoners of war, the Russian Defense Ministry noted.