Ukraine Accuses Russia of Marking Mercenaries Like Concentration Camp Prisoners

Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate has accused Russia of marking foreign mercenaries with serial numbers, a practice they liken to methods used in Nazi concentration camps. According to the Ukrainian intelligence, instead of standard military identification tags, foreign fighters are assigned "inventory numbers" that are applied to their equipment or skin using permanent ink.

These markings are reportedly difficult to remove and are reapplied if they fade. Ukraine claims Russian police have stopped foreigners, including students and migrant workers, to check for these numbers, suggesting the practice is used to identify deserters. However, these claims have not been independently verified.

The Ukrainian intelligence service stated that this system aims to "strengthen control and depersonalization," effectively turning mercenaries into "goods." They allege that by marking bodies as "unknown" or "missing," Russia avoids paying compensation to families in Africa and Asia, thereby concealing the true scale of its losses. Ukraine asserts that this use of "totalitarian methods" demonstrates a systematic disregard for international humanitarian law.

Anton Gerashchenko, a former advisor to Ukraine's Interior Minister, shared similar information, citing the Defense Intelligence. He added that rumors circulate among Russian soldiers that foreign recruits are forcibly marked, and receiving such a tattoo signifies a "one-way trip."

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Primitivno označavanje omogućuje Moskvi da tijela likvidiranih stranaca ostavlja na bojnom polju kao 'nepoznata', navodi ih kao 'nestale bez traga' i izbjegava isplatu novčanih naknada obiteljima u Africi i Aziji, prikrivajući stvarne razmjere gubitaka.