An ASEAN country confirms that its citizens are fighting in Ukraine.

Malaysian authorities have confirmed that a 20-year-old Malaysian citizen, Lee Bing Hang, enlisted as a mercenary for the Ukrainian army in April of this year.

British volunteers went to fight in Ukraine in 2022. (Source: Reuters)

On November 9th, photos of a Malaysian citizen's identity card and driver's license circulated on social media after Russian forces claimed to have captured the town of Levadne in eastern Ukraine in October.

Malaysian police said Lee, who is registered in Perlis state, apparently dropped his identity card and driver's license after being injured in a drone attack.

A Malaysian police chief, Razarudin Hussain, said: “Lee went to the UK in March before enlisting in the Ukraine-Russia war and had no plans to return home.”

Lee dropped out of university earlier this year and enlisted as a mercenary for the Ukrainian army, earning $2,700 a month. Police also confirmed that Lee is the only known Malaysian citizen fighting in the Ukrainian forces.

Malaysia currently does not take sides in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and maintains close ties with Russia. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently declared his strong opposition to all acts of violence and violations of territorial integrity and sovereignty, and called on all parties to work towards a peaceful solution to the Ukraine-Russia conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

Following the outbreak of conflict with Russia in early 2022, President Zelensky's administration established the International Corps to attract foreign volunteers to fight. It is estimated that thousands have arrived in Ukraine to fight alongside the country's army.

Russia calls them "foreign mercenaries," accusing the Ukrainian authorities of recruiting fighters from 63 countries, including some with no combat experience. The majority of International Corps members come from Europe and the Americas, with smaller numbers from Asia, Africa, and Australia, including Russian and Belarusian citizens.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced late last month that Russia had neutralized the majority of Ukraine's "foreign mercenaries," specifically 5,800 fighters, including 1,427 from Poland, 466 from the United States, and 344 from the United Kingdom.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/mot-nuoc-asean-xac-nhan-co-cong-dan-tham-chien-tai-ukraine-293170.html