After the loss of Avdeyevka, Ukraine suffered a major military blow, about 10 corps were eliminated, another was routed, and the losses in armaments were serious. If this gap is not filled quickly, Ukraine's defenses could face a collapse. In response to the situation, the Ukrainian army was forced to send troops from Kyiv for reinforcements. However, neither Russia nor Ukraine has shown a willingness to seek peace talks, but are preparing for a full-scale escalation of military operations.
After Ukraine's heavy losses, although no official defeat was declared, in a war report released on February 18, Ukraine claimed to have eliminated 47,186 Russian soldiers, destroyed 364 tanks, 748 armored vehicles, 248 artillery pieces, and shot down five warplanes in the battle for Avdeyevka. This report is clearly exaggerated and intended to cover up the reality and find an excuse to continue fighting. As the conflict escalates, future battles are likely to become more intense.
This figure seems to be mainly an attempt to enlist the support of the United States and NATO by inflating enemy losses in order to cover up their own defeats and thus to obtain more military aid. However, after two years of fighting, the Russian army has not retreated, and it is still unknown whether the United States and NATO will be able to continue to support the Ukrainian army in the future.
The Russia-Ukraine war does not seem to be going to stop and could escalate into a larger fight. The Russian army will inevitably occupy more territory, which will require a larger-scale offensive. In this case, a decisive Russian-Ukrainian battle seems inevitable, and the battle for Donbass will be the key to this decisive battle. However, it is not possible to determine how large this war will be.
The battle for Avdeyevka seems to be just one example of the recent breakthrough of the Russian army on the battlefield.
Russia has received strong reinforcements, and Iran and Syria have sent mercenaries. The Russian army will not only not stop attacking, but will also invest more troops. At a critical moment when a large-scale battle was about to begin, the Russian army welcomed two powerful reinforcements from Asia. Soldiers from Iran and Syria are quickly heading to the front.
According to the latest information released by the Ukrainian Military Intelligence on February 14, 2024, the Russian army is actively recruiting mercenaries of Syrian nationality. The first batch of 141 mercenaries of Syrian nationality has been recruited and is being trained at the Aleppo air base. Although it is no secret, Russia and Syria have a long history of military cooperation. After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Syrian nationals joined the Russian army, although there have been previous reports of this, but there have been no specific statistics.
On February 19, the Russian side announced that a group of volunteers from Iran had joined the Russian army and were expected to participate in the battlefield in Ukraine. **The volunteers displayed a flag with a portrait of the late commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Brigade, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike. Although the military has not yet confirmed the information that Iranian volunteers have joined the Russian army, it can be speculated that the Iranian armed forces may be involved in the war in Ukraine as mercenaries.
Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, Russia has been accepting mercenaries, many of whom are from abroad, who do not fight for money, but are paid according to mercenary standards. Faced with the abundant demand for mercenaries, Russia has shown great interest, and even Syrians and Iranians have come to the aid of Russian troops. In fact, people from several countries have joined the Russian army, and some have even formed independent units. For example, according to February 18**, in Donetsk, a contingent of internationalist columns called "Alexis Castillo" appeared in honor of a Spaniard who joined the pro-Russian militia units in Donetsk.
In the Russian-Ukrainian war, mercenaries are widely involved, including Colombian nationals from Russia and Ukraine, and members of the Latin American region. In general, mercenaries who join the Russian army are more cautious, and there are relatively few reports about it; On the contrary, the mercenaries who joined the Ukrainian army are tragic, and the recent news of the death of Colombian mercenaries is not uncommon.
On 18 February, Colombian mercenaries confirmed dead in action included Manuel Fernando Blanco García and Manuel Echavarria Lescano. Garcia arrived in Ukraine on January 18, 2024, and in less than a month, was killed by Russian artillery on February 13. Lescano, who arrived in Ukraine in December 2023 and joined the Carpathian Battalion, a Ukrainian Nazi armed group, was killed in a drone bombing of Kupyansk on February 11, along with two other mercenaries and two others wounded. Oscar Arei Triana Pereira and Joan Sebastian Therón were killed by Russian forces just over two months after entering the war in Ukraine.
In Colombia, ex-servicemen often choose to become mercenaries, especially Colombian mercenaries who have traveled to Ukraine, according to the United States, in the hundreds, and possibly even thousands. Despite the high death rate, there are still people who continue to do so, mainly because of the high remuneration. In Colombia, the salary of retired personnel is around $400-900, while in Ukraine they can be paid $3,300, and theoretically $400,000 for the death of the battle, although it is still unknown whether they can be obtained, this huge reward is still attractive.
In addition, there are also Armenian mercenaries who have been killed in the conflict in Ukraine, such as Gvorg Mkirchiyan, who belongs to the "Georgian Mercenary Regiment" of the Ukrainian army, who was confirmed dead on February 8. Despite the difficult situation faced by Armenia, he chose to participate in the fight against the Russian army, which raises questions.
Although Russia is not reluctant to report on overseas people joining the Russian army to fight, due to international limitations, there are fewer reports. In fact, the number of people who have joined the Russian army is much larger, and this is partly a problem of propaganda methods. The current propaganda campaign appears to be a reminder to Ukrainian mercenaries about the situation on the battlefield and to warn them to recognize reality and be cautious about their allegiance to Ukraine. This strategy, while disrupting the opponent's logistical support, is very necessary and effective, because life is precious, not just money.