The Russian-Ukrainian war has drawn in a group of foreign mercenaries from around the world, including the Middle East and Africa.
Among them are Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries, who participated in the 2019/2020 conflict in Libya.
Sources have told Libya Review that “a group of Syrian mercenaries loyal to Turkey in Libya will be transferred to Ukraine to participate in the ongoing battles against Russia.”
The sources added that “Qatar will bear the training costs and salaries of the mercenaries, who will then be sent to fight alongside the Ukrainian forces. They will receive a salary of $2,000 dollars per month.”
Recently, Qatar has been accused of supporting extremist organizations and mercenaries in the Arab world, especially in Libya.
In August 2020, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) claimed that Qatar had trained about 400 Syrian mercenaries, before dispatching them to fight in Libya.
It added that Turkey transferred a group of Syrian mercenaries to Qatar, on the basis of guarding government institutions, but eventually sent them to join the Libyan conflict.
In July, sources revealed that Turkey and Qatar had recruited Somali mercenaries, to use in various conflicts. As Ankara was heavily involved in the battles taking place in Tripoli against the Libyan National Army (LNA).
These reports reflect Qatar’s direct involvement in the training and transfer of mercenaries and foreign fighters.
Two weeks ago, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on volunteers from across the world to come to Kyiv’s aid.
This came at a time when allegations arose over Russia’s recruitment of foreign mercenaries in the war.