90+ foreign sabotage groups operating in Ukraine: Russian official
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Konstantin Gavrilov affirms that Kiev's Western allies have mercenaries fighting in Ukraine.
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Ukrainian soldiers handle equipment outside Kharkiv, February 26, 2022 (AP)
The head of the Delegation of the Russian Federation to the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control, Konstantin Gavrilov, revealed that there are more than 90 foreign sabotage and reconnaissance groups operating in Ukraine, including 14 American groups.
Gavrilov said, as quoted by the Russian newspaper Izvestia, that there are 92 foreign sabotage and reconnaissance groups operating in Ukraine, including 14 American ones, as per available data, which was confirmed by the Pentagon in open sources.
"This means that there are generals and officers with the status of mercenaries or trainers, and their tasks are not limited to maintaining systems such as Storm Shadow and HIMARS, but they are already involved in planning terrorist operations against our country," he further stressed.
Gavrilov went on to say that Kiev, due to the successes achieved by Russian forces, is trying desperately to "stimulate" the recruitment of new fighters. For example, there is a recruitment company in Spain that recruits Spanish speakers in Latin American countries, sending them to fight "without even knowing the English language or possessing specific military skills."
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The Russian official pointed out that there are also mercenaries with combat experience in Ukraine, stating, "The problem is extremely complex, but as experience shows, whether they send mercenaries or not, they are effectively eliminated, which does not encourage others to come."
Gavrilov explained that there are usually no mercenaries among Ukrainian prisoners, as they try to evacuate them "to hide their traces," and they are buried discreetly while seeking to conceal the number of losses among them to avoid provoking protests in Western countries.
The Russian Ministry of Defense had previously reported the elimination of mercenaries from the United States, Britain, Georgia, and other countries, in addition to regularly providing reports on striking gathering points for foreigners fighting alongside Kiev.
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