Foreign fighters at a drunken party in Kiev allegedly ended up in brawl that left US, Canadian and Romanian nationals injured
FILE PHOTO. © AFP / Sergei Supinsky
Four members of Ukraine’s International Legion at a Saturday night party in Kiev had a drunken fight, the nation’s ‘Strana’ news media outlet reported, citing police sources. The off-duty soldiers’ antics ended up with one of them stabbing and hitting the others, reports on the ground say.
A Briton, an American, a Canadian and a Romanian got together at a private residence in the southeastern part of Ukrainian capital, ‘Strana’ reported. It’s understood that what started as a drinking session soon spiraled into a quarrel and ended up in a physical fight.
During the scuffle, the British man stabbed his American and Canadian comrades in their arms and legs with a knife, and hit the Romanian, breaking his jaw, according to the report. All three men were subsequently hospitalized, the source told the media. The UK national has not yet been arrested, the source said, adding that Ukrainian law-enforcement authorities were still “providing legal assessment” for the incident.
The motives behind the violence remain unclear. Neither Ukrainian authorities nor Western officials have provided any comments on the situation so far.
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Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky put out an appeal for foreigners to join the country’s International Legion three days after Moscow launched its military operation against Kiev last year. Thousands answered the call, but stories soon emerged of ill-prepared recruits, incompetent commanders, and horrific losses. Foreign fighters in Ukraine have since consistently described conditions on the front line as “hell,” with casualty rates in some units during the summer counteroffensive reportedly as high as 85%.
The Russian Defense Ministry estimated in July that around 12,000 hired guns had traveled to Ukraine since the start of the conflict. As of July, just 2,200 remained in the country, with 5,000 killed and the rest fleeing Ukraine, the ministry added.
In September, the British Foreign Office confirmed another incident, this one involving a UK national in Ukraine. The remains of a British mercenary –identified as Jordan Chadwick– were discovered tied up in a body of water during the summer, it reported.
It was unclear where Chadwick had died or who killed him. Likewise, whether the Briton was drowned to death or was dead before he ended up in the water is unknown. The Ukrainian authorities said at that time, though, that an investigation into the incident would be launched no sooner than February of next year.
