Language barriers and mercenaries: the unseen challenge on Russia's front
A newly released video by Ukraine's former Deputy Interior Minister, Anton Heraszczenko, captures the absurdity of war: Russian soldiers desperately sketching in the dirt and gesturing wildly, trying to communicate battle plans to Nepalese mercenaries who only speak English, a language lost on their Slavic commanders. This linguistic fumble amidst the echoes of artillery offers a stark glimpse into the chaotic integration of foreign soldiers into Russia's military strategy.
It's been over two years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Russian troops crossed the border from the north and entered Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region. Heavy fighting continues, and Ukrainian authorities are urging civilians from the endangered areas to evacuate.
Meanwhile, the issue of mercenaries in the Russian army has resurfaced. Anton Heraszczenko shared another video that shows Russian soldiers in the trenches struggling to communicate with Nepalese mercenaries who do not speak Russian; the only foreign language they know is English, which the Russians shown in the material cannot understand. The country at the base of the world's tallest peak, Mount Everest, was under British rule.
Russian soldiers in the trenches clumsily attempted to explain the positions of the Ukrainian forces and the Russians to the Nepalese, using drawings on the ground and pointing directions.
Former Ukrainian Deputy Interior Minister Anton Heraszczenko shared a video from the front showing Russian fighters unable to communicate with Nepalese mercenaries.
Do you know where the sun comes up? Don't shoot there! - the Russian soldiers told the Nepalese.
As Heraszczenko highlighted earlier, not all Russians favour employing such mercenaries. In the comments to a video from a few weeks ago featuring a Nepalese fighting on the Russian side named Papendo, there was a surge of hate and racist comments aimed at him.
Heraszczenko points to Russians being concerned that individuals like him will remain in Russia after the war. Many Russians think it's acceptable for foreigners to die for their country but unacceptable for them to live in.
In April 2024, the Asia Research Center, just before its closure by the War Art Academy, published a commentary on Nepalese mercenaries in the ranks of the Russian army.
According to the report, between 200 and even a thousand Nepalese could be serving on the Russian side - by April, 10 of them were confirmed killed.
To reduce the number of Nepalese mercenaries in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, on January 4th, the government in Kathmandu halted the issuance of visas for its citizens looking to work abroad in either Russia or Ukraine.
For many impoverished Nepalese, the salary offered by the Russian forces seems very attractive, alongside the promise of expedited Russian citizenship - we learn from the Asia Research Center's report.
