They are currently in a kyiv hospital but expect to be flown to Germany this week for a shrapnel removal operation.
A Texas mercenary named “Tango” said his unit of dozens of men suffered “85 percent casualties” and that two soldiers he knew were killed when the group was ambushed as it advanced. According to him, 40 percent of the unit’s fighters were so seriously injured that they became “ineffective in combat.”
Another US Army veteran, known by the call sign “Goldfish,” said the Russian military’s “highly organized resistance” was immediately apparent.
“It was definitely a very professional force that we fought against,” said a former US Army soldier from Alaska.
Another foreign mercenary with years of military experience said he was seriously injured during the first wave of the counteroffensive in June. Speaking to ABC News on condition of anonymity, the soldier said the attack operations he participated in were disorganized and criticized some of the tactical decisions of the commanders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“We lost three Leopards (modern German-made tanks) in one day because they were simply ordered to move into the minefield,” he said.
He added that newly mobilized Ukrainian soldiers often lacked the knowledge to carry out complex offensive operations on the battlefield. According to him, Western military equipment, such as the US-supplied Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, is not fully used because some Ukrainian soldiers do not have the necessary training or experience.
