ARE THERE Malaysians preparing for combat in Ukraine as part of international private mercenaries hired by Russia to help its military in the battle against its neighbour?
Reports have emerged that a number of Malaysians have been found to be serving as paid legionnaires for Russia in Donetsk, a region in eastern Ukraine.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, a Ukrainian online newspaper, these Malaysians are being accompanied by translators, who include former members of the Wagner army in Donetsk, which is understood to be under Russian control at present.
The PMC Wagner, as it is officially known, is a Russian state-funded private military company (PMC).
The Malaysian combatants are presently undergoing training, the portal said.
The National Resistance Centre of Ukraine has claimed that Russia continues to recruit mercenaries from around the world to continue its policy of conquest over Ukraine.
The centre was created by Ukraine's Special Operations Forces for the purpose of training, coordinating and scaling movements against the occupation of the country.
It also issued a warning that anyone serving with the Russian armed forces against Ukraine will be targeted by its military.
In addition to Malaysia, citizens of Cuba, Nepal, Belarus, Serbia and other countries are also among the many mercenaries found serving with the Russian military for its campaign in Ukraine, reports have said.
Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022
Meanwhile, questions have been raised over a Russian military transport plane which crashed near Yablonovo in Russia’s Belgorod region which borders Ukraine.
There are suspicions that the plane, which was reportedly carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war and nine Russians, was shot down by Ukrainian forces.
Russia has blamed Ukraine for the crash, accusing it of using missiles obtained from western countries to shoot the lyushin-76 aircraft.
Everyone on board was killed. The plane is said to have been on its way to facilitate prisoner exchange.
Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied shooting down the plane, but it has accused Moscow of generating deliberate risk to the lives and safety of its prisoners of war.
According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyiv was not informed about the flight to ensure safe passage for the plane through airspace before the prisoner exchange was to be made.
CNBC quoted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as saying that Kyiv will fully investigate the circumstances around the crash, adding that “facts” were a key priority.
He accused Russia of “playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, with the feelings of their relatives and with the emotions of our society,” the network reported. – The Vibes, January 26, 2024
