"Foreign soldiers deployed to the front line for Putin...Many are tricked into joining the army.

Amid growing concerns in the international community due to North Korea's dispatch of troops to Ukraine, soldiers of various nationalities are reportedly being seen on the actual battlefield.

The British weekly Economist reported that up to tens of thousands of foreign-flagged Russian troops were deployed in the Ukraine war and that their nationalities varied from Nepal, Brazil, India and Serbia.

The Economist interviewed several Russian troops of foreign nationality captured by Ukrainian forces and claimed that most of them were duped into the battlefield and their work was different from the original description.

Ukrainian authorities say many of these foreign soldiers serve as "bullets" on the battlefield.

Ukrainian authorities have not given official figures of the foreign soldiers captured, but it is unlikely they will return to their homeland.

In particular, since it is illegal to fight for foreign troops in many countries, they could end up in prison upon their return, and Russia has not officially demanded their return.

POW A from Nepal said he went to Russia to study and joined the army.

When he was deceived by the agency that arranged his study abroad and was unable to pay for college tuition, he signed a contract with the Russian military with a desperate feeling, and I heard that it was a role to help only those who were injured, but he was deployed to the front line.

B, from Slovakia, said he visited Russia because he wanted to live in Siberian nature and volunteered for the army because he needed citizenship.Mr.

B claimed that he was promised only to dig trenches and build bunkers, but was put in the middle of the battlefield.

C, a Brazilian national living in Australia, said he came to Russia after receiving a job offer from an IT company and learned later that the company was working for Russian military intelligence.

C, who had to undergo daily drone pilot training, challenged the company that he did not come to Russia to do this, but was eventually sent to the front line, and even heard threats that he would be arrested or shot if he tried to escape.

It is believed that there are also mercenaries who voluntarily joined the army.

C claimed to have witnessed Chinese special forces personnel during the training and also met with a Russian-speaking Iranian commander.

They are said to be fighting for a salary of $2,000 (about 2.7 million won).

Ukrainian intelligence officials said many of the foreign-flagged Russian soldiers were killed because they were deliberately put ahead of Russian forces to confirm the location of Ukrainian forces.

The economist said there were 16 foreign soldiers in the concentration camps alone in the Levy region, while there were more in other camps.

Sri Lanka and Nepal are known to have the highest nationality of prisoners except Russia.