Coordination Headquarters inform African journalists about foreign mercenaries fighting for Russia

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War held a meeting with media representatives from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritania, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Senegal, and Cameroon.

According to Ukrinform, the Coordination Headquarters reported this on Facebook.

During the meeting, the African journalists were presented with data regarding the number and origins of foreign mercenaries recruited into the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

Representatives of the Coordination Headquarters also answered a number of questions regarding the detention conditions of captured mercenaries from African countries. They emphasized in particular that Ukraine adheres to the requirements of the Geneva Conventions and demands the same from the Russian side.

The journalists were also able to speak online with prisoners from several African countries.

The Coordination Headquarters stressed the importance of informing African communities about the dangers and fraudulent recruitment tactics used by Russian recruiters.

The visit took place at the invitation of Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the European External Action Service. It was organized within the framework of the "EU-Ukraine Strategic Communications Capacity Building Initiative" project.

Read also: Kremlin using criminal networks and mercenaries to destabilize EU countries – CCD

As Ukrinform previously reported, as of April, Ukrainian military intelligence had data on more than 28,000 foreigners who had already signed contracts with the Russian armed forces.

It was also established that this year Russia plans to recruit around 20,000 foreign citizens into its military, including migrants.