Monitoring Desk: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that his commanders had informed him about the involvement of foreign fighters from Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and African countries in the ongoing battles around Vovchansk.
In his X post, Zelenskyy claimed that his warriors are reporting the participation of mercenaries from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and African countries in the war. We will respond.
Today, I was with those defending our country in the Vovchansk direction – the warriors of the 17th Separate Motorized Infantry Battalion of the 57th Brigade named after Kish Otaman Kost Hordiienko.
We spoke with commanders about the frontline situation, the defense of… pic.twitter.com/40XsGHZU0T
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 4, 2025
Strangely, he did not add the name of Afghanistan to the list, although the world knows that Afghanistan is the launching pad of global terrorism. The question arises who is behind attempting to drag Pakistan into the Russia-Ukraine conflict, because in the past Pakistan was accused of providing weapons to Ukraine against Russia, and now it is otherwise in claims. Pakistan denied suggestions that it was supplying weapons to Ukraine. Notably, during a visit to Pakistan in July 2023, then-Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba publicly dismissed reports that Pakistan was providing arms to his country. The Russia-Ukraine war began on February 24, 2022.
On August 5, 2025, the Foreign Office of Pakistan categorically rejected the unfounded allegations of the involvement of Pakistani nationals in the conflict in Ukraine. To date, Pakistan has not been formally approached by the Ukrainian authorities, nor has any verifiable evidence been presented to substantiate such claims. In a statement, FO said that the Government of Pakistan shall take up this matter with the Ukrainian authorities and seek clarification in this regard.
Certain reports coming from Kyiv suggest that losing the war is making President Zelenskyy so desperate that he is talking nonsense without knowing the consequences. Due to his habit of losing talks, President Zelenskyy was publicly ridiculed by US President Trump in the past, and his latest statement against China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan can trigger a diplomatic standoff with these countries that are still avoiding being an open partner in the war, as the EU has been in favour of Ukraine.
The interesting element is that President Zelenskyy skipped the name of Afghanistan in his blame list, although this land is popular for providing mercenaries and jihadists wherever there is a need for them. This factor provides reasons to believe that putting the name of Pakistan into the alleged list of “mercenaries” could be a work of Indian networking sitting in Kiev, because Indian intelligence agencies are enjoying wonderful relations with the Afghan government nowadays.
