Russia is calling home mercenaries from Burkina Faso to strengthen the defense after the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, reports AFP.
– We thought that the Ukrainians wanted to end this war and sit down at the negotiating table, but after their incursion into the Kursk region, we see that they have decided on war, says commander Viktor Yermolayev.
Ukraine’s offensive in Russia forces Russian paramilitary mercenaries in Burkina Faso to withdraw to Russia to help and strengthen the defense of the Kursk region. This is what Viktor Jermolajev, commander of the so-called Björnbrigaden, told AFP.
In an interview with AFP, Yermolaev states that many of his soldiers have left the West African country, while some have remained.
– We thought that Ukrainians wanted to end this war and sit down at the negotiating table, but after their incursion into the Kursk region, we see that they have decided on war, and war is our job, Yermolaev says.
– There is no higher honor for a Russian warrior than protecting his homeland, he continues.
According to intelligence from sources in the West, around 100 soldiers in the Bear Brigade are believed to have returned home, reports the news agency.
The Bear Brigade is one of several mercenary groups that have emerged in recent years, along with the now defunct Wagner Group, which was led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash outside Moscow last year.
Three weeks ago, Ukraine launched a counter-invasion of the Russian region of Kursk, which lies further north along the border. The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday it had taken control of a total of 100 communities and a land area of nearly 1,300 square kilometers.