Russia's MoD warns foreign mercenaries fighting in Ukraine of criminal charges

Amid the ongoing brutal war in Eastern Europe, the Russian Defence Ministry stated that foreign mercenaries in Ukraine are not fighters and will face criminal charges. "The Kyiv regime's urgent attempts to guarantee legal protection to mercenaries, including them in the list of military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the National Guard, or issuing them new passports of Ukrainian citizens, will not save any of them," Major General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesperson for the Russian Defence Ministry stated, as per Sputnik. He further claimed that the number of foreign combatants in Ukraine has dropped from 6,600 to around 3,500 as of now. 

According to Konashenkov, mercenaries wish to leave Ukraine due to the severe casualties inflicted during the course of the war, but the Kyiv regime has not allowed them to do so. Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukrainian authorities had hired about 7,000 mercenaries from 63 countries to fight in the war, with many of them fleeing, killed, or kidnapped. It also stated that Ukrainian cities like Kyiv, Kharkov, Odessa, Nikolaev, and Mariupol were home to the majority of foreign mercenaries. 

War criminals of Azovstal steel plant to face legal consequences: Russia

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, warned that combatants from the Azovstal steel plant who are found to have committed war crimes would face legal consequences. "Crimes will not go unpunished. The leadership of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) plans to create an international tribunal on the territory of the republic to try nationalists from Azovstal. Its charter is currently being worked on. We welcome this initiative", she said in a press briefing, Sputnik reported. Denis Pushilin, the head of the DPR, stated that the primary task of the tribunal would be to ensure that trials are held mostly in public to be as transparent as possible. 

Baltic states join international investigation team to probe war crimes in Ukraine

It is pertinent to mention here that Slovakia, Latvia and Estonia have officially joined the international investigation team to probe war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine by the Russian armed forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has labelled killings of civilians as "genocide" and "war crimes." Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "war criminal" who should face charges.

Image: AP