Russia Claims to Have Killed Japanese Mercenary, Authenticity Unclear

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:57 JST, March 15, 2024

The Russian Defense Ministry announced Thursday its own tally counting the number of foreign national fighters who have joined the Ukrainian side so far as 13,387 and claimed that they have killed 5,962 of them. It also claimed that Russia has killed one of the alleged 15 Japanese fighters who had joined Ukraine.

The method of counting the number of foreign fighters and ascertaining their nationalities has not been disclosed, and their authenticity is unclear. The Russian side disclosed the number as that of mercenaries, to whom the Geneva Convention, which stipulates the treatment of prisoners of war, does not apply.