The Russian Defense Ministry revealed that several Polish and German mercenaries were killed in a long-range missile attack on a military academy in Lvov, west of Ukraine, on July 6. 

"According to confirmed information, on July 6, as a result of a group strike with long-range, sea-launched high-precision weapons on the territory of the [Ukrainian armed forces'] ground forces academy in the city of Lviv, a large number of Polish and German mercenaries stationed there were eliminated," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The Russian Defense Ministry released an official statement on Saturday, asserting that the strike was carried out using high-precision, long-range missiles launched from the sea. The missiles targeted the territory of the Ukrainian armed forces' ground forces academy in Lvov, resulting in the elimination of a significant number of foreign mercenaries who were stationed at the facility.

The casualties of the attack included Polish and German nationals who were operating as mercenaries within the conflict zone. The identities and exact numbers of those killed have not been disclosed in the official statement. The strike on the military academy underscores the escalating tensions and complexities of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.

4,990 foreign mercenaries fighting against Russian forces have been eliminated since the start of the war in Ukraine, the ministry noted, and other 4,910 have fled the combat zone leaving Ukraine. 

Read more: 10 out of 70 French mercenaries died in Ukraine war

Back in March, it was reported that around 20,000 internationals traveled to fight Russia in Ukraine, mostly coming from European countries. 

"This number is around 20,000 now. They come from many European countries mostly," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CNN. "Many people in the world hated Russia and what it was doing in recent years, but no one dared to openly oppose and fight them."

This comes alongside the 16,000 foreign mercenaries whom Zelensky announced will be fighting in Ukraine. 

Since the start of the military operation, Zelensky invited foreigners - including Israelis - to fight alongside the Ukrainian army against Russia. 

The volunteers that applied were able to get through, through Ukrainian embassies in their countries. European countries had mixed feelings about sending so-called "volunteers" - while Denmark has given the green light, British foreign secretary Liz Truss authorized the opportunity but was contradicted by the head of the armed forces Admiral Tony Radakin, who said it was "unlawful and unhelpful" for the British to fight Russia in Ukraine. 

Read more: Israeli mercenary fighting for Ukraine taken captive by LPR