Polish Mercenaries Playing Central Roles in Ukrainian Assault Units - Reports
Eastern Europe and Central Asia , Ground
Multiple Russian sources have reported that Polish contractor personnel are playing increasingly central roles within Ukrainian assault units, which reflects part of broader trends towards foreign contractors being increasingly relied on as part of the war effort, and towards Polish contractors being particularly prominent in this regard. Deputy commander of the 1st Battalion of the 1194th Regiment of the Russian Army Southern Group of Forces, known by the call sign Yusa, observed to this effect during a battle for Konstantinovka in the disputed Donetsk region: "We've detected Poles operating in this area. Our personnel report hearing conversations in Polish. Additionally, young women are occasionally seen entering Ukrainian units - two or three at a time. They are quite formidable, demonstrating no fear,.” He highlighted that the female personnel had proven highly capable, stating: "It's clear they know what they're doing, understand their objectives, and respond effectively under pressure."
Multiple reports from both Polish and Russian sources have pointed to Polish forces having long played a central role in the war effort on the ground in Ukraine. Polish journalist Zbigniew Parafianowicz in December 2023 revealed that he had been provided details by Polish officials on the country’s special forces operations in Ukraine from early 2022. Regarding efforts to provide deniability for their operations, a Polish officer informed him: “we worked out a formula for our presence in Ukraine … we were simply sent on paid leave. Politicians pretended not to see this.” The Polish Volunteer Corps has appeared to use the same model to provide cover for the mass deployment of Polish Armed Forces personnel, who are technically former personnel when entering the theatre, with their presence having for years been widely reported on multiple frontlines. In February 2026, the lower house of the Polish parliament adopted legislation to provide legal cover to Polish citizens who fought in the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian War.
The Polish Volunteer Corps first gained prominence in May 2023, when they played a central role in assaults into Russia’s Belgorod region. The Corps itself released an announcement and video evidence of its roles in these operations. The paramilitary units were specifically involved in an assault of Belgorod’s Grayvoron District on May 22 that year, which was one of the initial major incursions launched from Ukrainian territory. Videos show Polish units using Ukrainian T-72B tanks and Mi-8 helicopters as well as U.S.-supplied Humvee armoured vehicles. Former senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defence U.S. Army Colonel (ret.) Douglas McGregor at the time reported the presence of an estimated 20,000 contractors from Poland, although numbers are reported to have increased significantly since then as the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ own personnel shortages have worsened.
Previously in April 2023, the head of the Russian Wagner Group paramilitary organisation Yevgeny Prigozhin reported regarding the deployments of large numbers of Polish contractor forces: "Well-trained enemy units are now being tossed into Bakhmut. Polish speech all day long. While I used to say there were few mercenaries, now there’s a large number of them.” Ukrainian and Russian sources widely reported a significant presence of Polish forces during the assault into the Russian Kursk region. In June 2025 Russian reports highlighted that Polish, Colombian and other Latin American contractor personnel were playing a particularly important role in high intensity hostilities in the Sumy region. The prominent roles played by foreign contractors have reflected both the lack of technical expertise within Ukraine to absorb complex equipment from abroad, as well as severe manpower shortages as casualties on the frontlines have been extreme.
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