Zelenskyy: Russia fields soldiers from 47 countries in Ukraine war
At the UN General Assembly, Ukraine's president said Russia is recruiting fighters from dozens of nations, not just North Korea.
What to know
- Zelenskyy told the UN General Assembly on Sept 23 that Russia uses citizens from 47 countries in its war on Ukraine, going beyond the known use of North Korean troops.
- He named Ghana, Nepal, Tajikistan, India, Yemen, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Belarus, Sudan and South Africa among nations whose citizens have been found fighting for Russia.
- He appealed to foreign leaders to keep their citizens out of the war, saying Russia is trying to offset its own losses and cover up its actions using people from other countries.
- The claim drew online reaction framing it as evidence that Russia's military is depleted and reliant on recruiting foreigners.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine
Vladimir Putin President of Russia
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Online reaction mocks Russia's reliance on foreign recruits
A widely shared post quoting Zelenskyy's remarks characterized Russia's use of foreign fighters as a sign of a depleted military relying on deception to recruit abroad.
“Imagine calling yourself a military superpower, but your army is so chewed up that you have to run a sketchy global scam to trick people from 47 different countries into dying in…”
— @yasminalombaert -
“We know that Russia uses citizens of 47 countries in its war. In this war” - President Zelenskyy Imagine calling yourself a military superpower, but your army is so chewed up that you have to run a sketchy global scam to trick people from 47 different countries into dying in
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background
Zelenskyy urges leaders to stop citizens joining Russia's army — He said leaders were aware of what Russia was doing with their citizens and called on them to prevent their people from ending up on the front, and not to let Putin drag their countries into the war or let Russia offload its losses onto them.
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background
Zelenskyy tells UN Russia uses fighters from 47 countries — At the UN General Assembly general debate in New York, Zelenskyy said Ukraine has encountered not only North Korean troops but citizens of 47 countries fighting for Russia, listing Ghana, Nepal, Tajikistan, India, Yemen, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Belarus, Sudan and South Africa.