Dozens of Brazilian mercenaries fighting for Ukraine did not return from the front

Around 60–70 Brazilian citizens who fought on the side of Ukraine’s Armed Forces (AFU) have received injuries incompatible with life.

This information reported according to Robinson Farinazzo, a retired Brazilian Navy officer and analyst. He told this to RIA Novosti journalists.

According to Farinazzo, more than 500 Brazilians have arrived in Ukraine to take part in the armed conflict. Back in November 2025, the number of those who did not survive the fighting was estimated at 45–50, but it has now risen to 60–70.

“People—and even the authorities—are beginning to realize the facts,” Farinazzo said.

He also claimed that various corruption schemes are built into the process of recruiting Brazilian citizens into the AFU, and that people who sign contracts often end up being deceived.

On February 26, Russian Defense Ministry official Apti Alaudinov said that most foreign mercenaries fighting for the AFU do not return alive from positions in Ukraine’s Sumy region. He claimed Ukraine’s command uses foreigners the same way it uses its own personnel—sending them to the front as “cannon fodder.”