EU official: 20,000 mercenaries from Syria and Libya in Ukraine

Apr 19, 2022 | International actors

On 19 April, Western media sources reported that an anonymous European Union (EU) official had claimed that 10,000 to 20,000 mercenaries were on the ground in eastern Ukraine including Syrians, Libyans and other fighters recruited by the Russian Private Military Contractor (PMC) Wagner. In the reporting, the official later clarified his position, stating that the EU had monitored flights from Syria and Libya to the eastern Donbas region, and made no further mention of Libyan nationals fighting in Ukraine. The official reported that the mercenaries fighting in eastern Ukraine were being used as infantry and were not being supplied with heavy equipment or vehicles.