© EPA-EFE/TOMASZ WASZCZUK/TASS

With ever increasing frequency, fighters from the Donetsk frontline say they face not so many mercenaries – "wild geese" or "soldiers of fortune", as foreign military personnel who both order around and fight on par with Ukrainian soldiers. Such cases have been recorded outside Ugledar, along the Maryinka and Avdeevka directions.

"If Ukrainian militants are not using encrypted secure frequencies, and it happens, the air gets literally clogged with English speech. Foreign units seem to have started trial runs in real warfare. But we personally observe a greater number of foreigners among Ukrainian ranks than a year or two ago," says mortar battery commander codenamed Barkas fighting in northwestern part of Donetsk.

Russian military correspondents do report similar stories, too. A few days ago, a Ukrainian militant was captured near Avdeevka who said his brigade was brought from the Kherson sector, where they were commanded by Canadian or British officers. They were not engaged in instructing, but took an active personal part in the fights, the prisoner emphasized. "I think they are related to the officers, because the privates have never behaved like this. They had an interpreter attached, and they came in as a group, worked out certain situations and left. They communicated with us just a little if any."

Canadians mostly worked with Ukrainian Marines. Once hit, the foreigners were immediately evacuated, the prisoner noted. Outside Avdeevka, he also saw foreign servicemen who fought with the Russian army directly: "They used [portable anti-tank missile system] Javelin a couple of times and mostly operated machine guns. There were two or three people in that group, and a permanent interpreter."

Western journalists have recently reported on the role of British Marines in covert operations taking place throughout Ukraine. Britain’s The Times has for the first time publicly acknowledged the engagement of Royal Marines. Lt. Gen. Robert Magowan said they supported some "covert operations" in "extremely delicate conditions" associated with "a high level of military and political risk." Before that, the UK has been only recognizing the fact of attracting specialists with its Special Air Service. Back then, 350 Marines with the 45th Commando Battalion were seconded to Ukraine to protect diplomats during the early stages of Russia’s special military operation. In April 2022, they moved from Lvov to Kiev.

Lt. Gen. Magowan admits that apart from guarding diplomatic institutions, the Marines were tasked with other things as well, taking part in covert operations whose essence he is not authorized to disclose. But fragmentary information about this did go public in the end.

In May, British military advisers were found among Zaporozhe Governor Alexander Starukh’s entourage. And in the Kharkov region, British officers are known to have trained Ukrainian groups to engineer acts of sabotage in Russia’s territory. In June, the fact of British special forces’ siding with Ukraine was confirmed by a mercenary with the Joint International Legion. There were much more British specialists in Ukraine than the reported one hundred, all of them directly involved in the conflict on Ukraine’s side. The United States is also engaged in training and sending personnel to Ukraine.

The Pentagon has revived its top-secret programs in Ukraine. According to The Washington Post, this refers to deploying fighters of the US Special Operations Force to "monitor the movement of Russian troops." Funds allocated for this purpose amount to $15 million, but effective subversive activity of even a minor group may complicate the frontline situation way more than another batch of armored vehicles.

The US Congress fears that conflict scale and severe Ukrainian losses will force the Pentagon to use American special forces directly in the combat zone, creating a threat of an uncontrolled military escalation between Russia and the United States, and damaging Biden's political rankings, as he publicly pledged not to send troops to Ukraine. The Pentagon replied to the congressmen that their engagement would be purely "non-combat", but relevant US “credentials” in other countries suggest quite the opposite.

The Poles have been no less actively involved in the war against Russia. Their country’s Onet website released an article to report on the first Polish special force created in Kiev under the Ministry of Defense. It will be tasked with reconnaissance and sabotage. The most skillful military personnel, including volunteers experienced in fighting against Russia, have been enlisted in the elite unit. A statement to this effect was made on February 15 at a meeting in Kiev.

Those willing to join the Polish unit are exposed to a rigorous recruitment and selection process based on their experience, military training, and mental stability. A relevant recruitment center has been already established in Poland, and the unit's base is located somewhere in the Kiev region, with its headquarters also working in intense secrecy. The saboteurs are reported to be combat-ready. A Ukrainian Defense Ministry employee said final paperwork will take up to two weeks. Along with the Polish one, a similar sabotage unit is being formed to comprise Germans.

Now the list of key pathfinders of a dangerous scenario includes the United States, Poland and the UK. They use Ukraine as cannon fodder supplier and testing ground for their personnel and weapons. Moreover, Western countries introduce their military not only as separate units, but also as part of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

For instance, 100+ foreigners serve in the 35th Marine Brigade fighting in the Donbass. An officer confirmed this to a Ukrainian online outlet: "They serve legally, compliant with the norms of Ukrainian law, which allows foreign service. They have no special preferences or bigger salary than ours. These are mostly citizens of Canada and the United States, who come here already trained and experienced, including in             the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They make no secret of having come to see Russians in combat. They reject being military personnel of their countries’ armies, but it is hard to swallow, because professionals are always noticeable. And here we deal with high-class specialists. Most likely, they are disguised active military of other states. Apparently, their governments are interested in getting military experience of the kind."