KYIV, UKRAINE – On August 4, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian troops in the northeast of the country are fighting “mercenaries” from many countries, including China, Pakistan, and African countries. This claim comes at the same time as allegations that North Korean soldiers are also fighting for Russia on the front lines.
Zelensky asserted this in a post on X (previously Twitter) after visiting the front lines in the Kharkiv region, where he met with commanders to talk about the current military situation.
Zelensky said, “We talked to the commanders about the situation at the front line, the defense of Vovchansk, and how the fighting was going.” He also said that they talked about important topics such as drone supply and use, recruitment efforts, and direct funding for brigades.
He then went into detail about the suspected foreign involvement: “The soldiers on this front have seen mercenaries from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and African countries taking part in the fight. We will react in the right way.
Past Claims and Alleged Proof
President Zelensky has said before that Russia is sending Chinese people to fight on the battlefield. He said earlier this year that more than 100 Chinese people had been found along the war lines and that two of them had been caught in the Donetsk region. Zelensky then put out a video that showed what looked like footage of the two captured Chinese fighters being interrogated, as well as what looked like their passports. China has always said these things aren’t true.
Ukraine hasn’t given a lot of concrete evidence about Pakistani and African mercenaries, but reports from several sources have shown that there are foreign fighters on both sides of the fighting. Reports say that Russia has been trying to recruit people in numerous African countries, frequently by promising them substantial pay or even Russian passports. There have also been unsubstantiated allegations in the past that Pakistanis might be fighting for Russia, even though Pakistan officially stays neutral in the conflict.
There have been several reports of North Korean troops on the front lines in Russia’s Kursk region. This is a big deal, and some estimates say that thousands of North Korean soldiers have been sent to help Russian troops.
Zelensky’s visit to the front lines and focus on troop morale
On Monday morning, President Zelensky went to the front lines in the Kharkiv region and spoke with soldiers from the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, which is named after Ivan Sirko. He said that these fighters are in charge of a “difficult section of the front” called Lyptsi.
During his visit, Zelensky talked to commanders on important operational issues, such as how to defend their line of duty, how to train the warriors, how to keep their morale up, and how to get the troops the supplies they need.
He also talked about getting good feedback on a “electronic system for tracking points awarded for the destruction of the occupiers and their equipment,” which shows that he wants to encourage effective combat. Zelensky said that all the problems that came up during the talks would be dealt with and fixed.
If the Ukrainian president’s statements about a wide range of foreign mercenaries fighting with Russian troops are true, they would show how complicated and international the struggle in Ukraine has become.