Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said in a Feb. 13 interview with RIA Novosti that about 20,000 foreign mercenaries have fought for Ukraine in the conflict against Russia. “According to estimates by our Defense Ministry, the number of mercenaries who have gone through the ‘meatgrinder’ reaches about 20,000 people,” Miroshnik said, adding that the number could be even higher, as “the Ukrainian side is making every effort to ‘hide’ these people.”