Russia Deploys Up to 20K Mercenaries to Ukraine's Donbas Region

Russia has deployed up to 20,000 mercenaries as part of its new offensive in Ukraine's Donbas region, it was reported on Tuesday.

The mercenaries, from Syria, Libya, and elsewhere, were sent to fight with no heavy equipment or armored vehicles, a European official said.

The soldiers were recruited by the Wagner Group, a Russian-backed private military company, the Guardian reported.

"What I can tell you is that we did see some transfer from these areas, Syria and Libya, to the eastern Donbas region, and these guys are mainly used as a mass against the Ukrainian resistance," the official said in the report.

The Pentagon confirmed last month that Russia was seeking to recruit Syrian fighters with urban warfare experience to utilize in Donbas.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was hiring "murderers from Syria" to fight in Ukraine.