Although the Western countries in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict did not send troops to assist Ukraine, they changed their way to "send troops" to Ukraine, that is, to recruit a large number of "volunteers". However, "volunteers" are only the names of these people in the Western media, and in the Russian media, they are directly referred to as "mercenaries", while in the eyes of the Ukrainian government, these people are all foreign legions.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, 20,000 foreign personnel have joined the "International Legion for the Defense of Ukrainian Territory", while the Ukrainian government is still increasing recruitment. According to the Ukrainian government, the 20,000 foreign personnel are combatants with extensive combat experience and have participated in various military operations around the world. These people are mainly from 52 countries, including the United States, Sweden, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Korea, Poland, Germany, France, the Netherlands and other countries. Earlier, it was also reported that there was an Internet celebrity in South Korea who even disregarded the ban and wanted to go to Ukraine to participate in the war.
On the Border between Ukraine and Poland, at railway stations and border crossings that were originally used to transport refugees, an unusually conspicuous group of "special people" could be seen, dressed in camouflage uniforms and military boots, completely dressed as soldiers, looking like they had received some kind of military training. Although most of them are Ukrainians who should be recalled, there are also Poles, British and Lithuanians. Reuters pointed out that only a small number of them have received military training, and most of the foreigners still need to undergo military training through the unified arrangements of the Ukrainian government before they can enter the war zone on their own.
Regardless of how much these foreign mercenaries can help the Ukrainian army, the risk of being uncontrollable is escalating. Russian military historian Yuri Knutov said that as these mercenaries enter Ukraine, it is likely to lead to a direct conflict between NATO and Ukraine. The US government think tank said that historically, the news about these foreign armed personnel has always been mixed, although there are a small number of professionals, but the overall lack of training, most of them can only serve as "cannon fodder".
So, why did the Western media hype up these mercenaries as "volunteers"? Why do many Western countries, while ostensibly saying they do not encourage such behavior, allow their own personnel to enter Ukraine? According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the mercenaries arriving in Ukraine are destroying Russian military equipment and supply convoys and helping the Ukrainian Air Force to provide cover. The US media also said in the report that this is a "concept of resistance warfare", the core of which is to establish an effective civilian military resistance capability in NATO member countries and friendly countries to deal with foreign "invasion".