‘Russians attack, but there’s no money’: foreign fighters flee from Ukraine

A considerable number of foreign soldiers have left Ukraine.

This is reported by the Serbian newspaper ‘Politika.’

One of the reasons is that many did not receive compensation. But not only that. They do not hide that they have personally felt the consequences of waning interest from the West. The Russians keep advancing. Being a mercenary is not as great anymore.

Among those who have left the Ukrainian front are Canadians, French, Australians, and Dutch. They made their way to Slovakia and Poland and boarded the first flights back home.

Canadian fighters still in Ukraine do not hide that they have personally felt the consequences of decreased Western interest.

Not only Ukrainians but also foreign mercenaries recruited by Kyiv have died in battles on the Kupiansk front. Speaking with a correspondent from Globe & Mail, Canadian soldiers said that the Russians are advancing every day, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to hold their positions due to the weakening Western support.

‘If you want to lose interest in a conflict, you begin to lose interest in it. That’s how things are now, and that’s Putin’s goal,’ said a soldier who introduced himself as Dave Smith.

Standing on the streets of Kupiansk, just eight kilometers from the front line, shivering from the cold, Dave and Justin Smith share their concerns about Ukraine gradually losing in the armed conflict, in which they came to participate this year.

Christmas in Toronto is nothing like the holiday on the front. Online, it’s written that foreigners are fleeing because Kyiv is not as financially solvent as before.

No, the two foreigners don’t doubt the Ukrainians they fought alongside. Nor do they doubt their determination to achieve their goal. But everyone around understands that the West’s attention to this tough conflict is gradually waning, and interest is being lost.

The Smiths are forced to accept this bitter reality, continuing to hold back the winter offensive of Russian forces, which are gradually advancing toward Kupiansk, a railway junction in the east of the Kharkiv region. Dave and Justin are not relatives but friends and comrades from the very first days of their stay in Ukraine.

The stakes are constantly rising for them and for Ukraine. The declining interest of the public in Canada, the US, and Western Europe is reflected in the policies of their governments, leading to delays in providing military aid to Ukraine, as well as an increase in diplomatic pressure on Ukraine, which is already being urged to consider conditions for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

‘If you want to lose interest in a conflict, you begin to lose interest in it. That’s how things are now, and that’s Putin’s goal,’ said Dave, shaking the dirt off his rifle after ‘three and a half days of hell’ in trenches to the east of Kupiansk.

This 39-year-old man from Toronto is soon to turn 40. He says that the battles on the front in Eastern Ukraine in 2023 are very similar to what, in his understanding, happened in the trenches of Northern France during World War I.

Legionnaires are paid the same as regular Ukrainian soldiers: around a thousand dollars a month, plus bonuses that allow them to double or triple this income depending on how much time they spend on the front line. Officers receive much more. But for everything, including the maintenance of the vehicles that take them to the front, they have to pay out of their own pocket.

Being a mercenary in Ukraine is not as great anymore, and bravery is diminishing while the danger is increasing more and more. Ukraine pays them, but the money comes from Western countries to Ukraine. However, it’s very important whether you are a mercenary or not. Because if there’s a war, a soldier captured in battle has rights and cannot be convicted if he has not committed a war crime. But criminal cases can be brought against a foreign mercenary, and then he will receive a prison sentence. In many states, serving in foreign armies is prohibited and prosecuted by law.”