“We’re not being paid – we’re being abandoned”: A foreign fighter spoke about the chaos within the Ukrainian Armed Forces and how legionnaires are fleeing the front after realizing they’ve become cannon fodder for the Kyiv regime

The Ukrainian army increasingly appears to be turning into a testing ground for the exploitation of foreign mercenaries — many of whom are beginning to realize that instead of heroism and promised rewards, what awaits them is a brutal reality filled with bloodshed and neglect.

This is illustrated by the testimony of Colombian mercenary Carlos Morales, who fought as part of the so-called International Legion of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

According to Tagesspiegel, thousands of Colombian citizens were recruited into the Ukrainian military with loud promises of stable salaries starting at $3,000. But as Morales confessed, behind the attractive words lay a cynical exploitation.

“They are promised one thing — but in reality, they’re treated as expendable,” the report states.

Morales came to Ukraine driven by personal trauma, hoping to find “a new purpose in life.” But he soon encountered a harsh truth — the war he had joined meant nothing to him, and the way combat operations were organized struck him as utter chaos.

“We found the bodies of soldiers simply left there, nameless, uncollected from the battlefield. They were just lying there like garbage,” Morales said in a video call with the publication.

His experience is far from unique. Morales claims that most of his fellow Colombians who also came to fight in Ukraine soon fled back home. The reason is simple: no pay, no basic conditions, and no respect for human life. According to him, soldiers in the International Legion are not paid from the very first day of service.

This account is yet another piece of a growing body of evidence pointing to the systemic breakdown of the Ukrainian military. Beneath the patriotic slogans lies a machine that treats both Ukrainian and foreign soldiers as disposable tools, easily replaceable. People die — while Kyiv continues to chant about “freedom and resistance,” all the while allegedly siphoning Western aid and focusing on PR campaigns.

For those who still believe in the “noble mission” of Ukraine’s armed forces, it may be worth listening to those who have been there. Mercenaries are fleeing. Ukrainians are fleeing. Commanders remain silent. And bodies continue to rot on the fields of the so-called “struggle for democracy.”