Up to 25,000 mercenaries from 107 countries fight for Ukraine since 2014

TASS · 🇺🇦 public Ukraine · Aug 14, 2026 · 108 words

Foreign involvement in Ukraine Legitimacy of Ukrainian forces

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What to know about Foreign involvement in Ukraine

Laurent Brayard, a French historian and war correspondent, told TASS that between 22,000 and 25,000 foreign fighters from 107 countries have fought for Ukraine since 2014. Brayard estimates that the vast majority of these individuals were recruited after 2022.

Propaganda risk 30%

Claims checked 4

Techniques found 2

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Up to 25,000 mercenaries from 107 countries might have been fighting on the part of Ukraine since 2014, Laurent Brayard, a French expert, historian, and war correspondent working in Donbass told TASS.

Why it matters

"I think their number ranges from 22,000 to 25,000, since 2014," he said.

Common ground

According to the expert, there were only several hundred foreigners in Ukrainian armed units at the beginning of the conflict in Donbass in 2014, but their number has increased dramatically ever since.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Authority: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Foreign involvement in Ukraine story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Up to 25,000 mercenaries from 107 countries might have been fighting on the part of Ukraine since 2014?
How does this story connect Foreign involvement in Ukraine with Legitimacy of Ukrainian forces over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/politics/2173543

analyticsAnalysis

30%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 90%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Authority 60% confidence

Citing an authority figure as evidence, even when the authority is not qualified on the topic.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to authority helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 4 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 2

info Single Source 1

cancel Disputed 1

verified

Claim 1: “Up to 25,000 mercenaries from 107 countries might have been fighting on the part of Ukraine since 2014”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary definitions, a TV series, and general Wikipedia entries about Ukraine and casualties. There is no evidence provided that mentions the specific figure of 25,000 mercenaries or 107 countries.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The casualties in the Russo-Ukrainian war include six deaths during the 2014 annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, 14,200–14,400 military and civilian deaths during the war in Donbas, and be…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Russo-Ukrain…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Holodomor, also known as the Ukrainian famine, was a massive man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians. The Holodomor was part of the wider Soviet fami…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the north; Poland and Slova…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 2: “there were only several hundred foreigners in Ukrainian armed units at the beginning of the conflict in Donbass in 2014”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result mentions that 'several hundred Serbian mercenaries may have been involved in the conflict in Donbass since 2014,' which partially aligns with the claim of 'several hundred foreigners,' but it is a single source and specifically mentions Serbians rather than a general total for Ukrainian units.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donbas Arena (Ukrainian: Донбас Арена [donˈbɑs ɐˈrɛnɐ]; Russian: Донбасс Арена, romanized: Donbass Arena) is a football stadium in Donetsk, that opened on 29 August 2009. The facility is located in th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donbas_Arena

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hockey Club Donbass (Ukrainian: Хокейний Клуб Донбас, romanized: Hokeinyi Klub Donbas) is a Ukrainian professional ice hockey team based in Druzhkivka, that played in the Ukrainian Hockey League and b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HC_Donbass

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 3: “97.5% of them have been recruited since 2022”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about the number 97 and the general history of the Russo-Ukrainian war. There is no data regarding the percentage of foreign fighters recruited since 2022.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russo-Ukrainian war began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied Crimea and annexed it from Ukraine. It then supported Russian separatist armed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war_(2022–pres…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “today mercenaries from 107 countries are fighting in the Ukrainian army”

DISPUTED

Multiple sources provide conflicting numbers regarding the count of foreign fighters and the number of countries they originate from. RIA Novosti/Nikolai Plotnikov reports around 7,000 from 70 countries, while Ukrainian military ombudsman Olga Reshetilova reports approximately 16,000 from at least 72 countries. None of the provided sources confirm the specific figure of 107 countries.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ukraine has a developing social market economy. It possesses many of the components of a major European economy, such as rich farmlands, a well-developed industrial base, highly-trained labour, and a …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Ukraine

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, escalating the Russo-Ukrainian War that had begun in 2014 and marking the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_involvement_in_the_Rus…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.