Ukrainian Paratroopers Capture Italian Citizen Fighting for Russia

Soldiers of the 78th Airborne Assault Regiment “Herts” of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces captured an Italian citizen fighting for the Russian invasion forces.

The press service of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces reported on this.

While performing a combat mission in the Kupiansk sector, the regiment’s soldiers discovered an enemy group. As a result of the contact, some of the enemy personnel were killed and others were taken prisoner.

Among the POWs was a native of Naples, an Italian citizen named Gianni Cenni, who voluntarily joined the Russian army. He is 51 years old and left behind a wife and two children.

In the past, Cenni worked in a restaurant in the Russian city of Samara, but in November 2024 he went to serve.

“Obviously, he has become another victim of Russian propaganda,” the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces suppose.

The Ukrainian Air Assault Forces say that the Russians had neither training nor numerical superiority against the Ukrainian paratroopers. Our soldiers acted in a coordinated and decisive manner, neutralized the enemy and captured the Italian citizen alive.

“This event is yet another confirmation of the invincibility of Ukrainian defenders who put their lives on the line every day to protect their homeland. Their professionalism and fighting spirit make the enemy tremble, no matter where they come from,” the paratroopers emphasize.

Foreign mercenaries in the service of the invading forces of the Russian Federation

At the end of December, it was reported that soldiers of the 28th Mechanized Brigade had driven a mercenary assault group out of their trenches in the Toretsk sector in close quarter combat.

The soldiers of the 28th Brigade captured only one shock trooper, who turned out to be a mercenary and an Egyptian citizen who did not understand Russian. It is currently unknown how the Egyptian ended up in the assault group and whether it consisted entirely of foreigners.

Since the end of 2023, the Russian military has been actively recruiting mercenaries from third-world countries to participate in the war against Ukraine.

In May, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported that Russia had created a special unit for this purpose, which recruits mercenaries and trains them in Russia.

Currently, a large number of citizens of Asian and African countries are fighting on the side of the Russian military. Russian special services are also actively recruiting citizens of Syria, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.

In addition to direct recruitment of mercenaries, Russian special services also set up a scheme to supply the army with manpower through Indian slave traders who deceived Indian citizens into studying or working in Russia, after which they confiscated all their documents and sent them to the front line.

The release of abducted citizens from the Russian army was even officially discussed by the President of the Russian Federation and the Prime Minister of India. As a result, about a hundred people were returned.