Buenos Aires: The Ukrainian diplomatic mission in Argentina published a notice for the recruitment of mercenaries to fight for Kiev, but after the Russian embassy appealed to the Argentine Foreign Ministry, it disappeared, Russian Ambassador to Argentina Dmitry Feoktistov told Sputnik on Friday.
“Some time ago, there was a notice on the website of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission about the recruitment of ‘soldiers of fortune’ for combat operations against the Russian armed forces. We sent a note to the [Argentine] Foreign Ministry explaining that such activities seriously violate the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Although there was no formal response, the notice disappeared from the website of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission,” Feoktistov said.
There are not many mercenaries from Argentina fighting in Ukraine, the diplomat added.
“Overall, quite many mercenaries from Latin America have fought in the Ukrainian militant groups, but Argentina is not the biggest contributor. Such cases are quite rare and are closely monitored by the competent Russian bodies,” Feoktistov said.
The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly accused Kiev of recruiting foreign mercenaries. Many foreign fighters have confessed in interviews that the Ukrainian military provides little coordination and that the intensity of combat far exceeds what they experienced in Afghanistan and the Middle East, making survival extremely difficult.
