Russian forces are continuing their efforts to track down and eliminate soldiers of fortune, the defense minister has said The Russian military has killed some 600 foreign mercenaries during its military operation in Ukraine, while hundreds more have fled the country, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has stated.

The number of non-Ukrainian combatants fighting on the side of Kiev has recently been reduced via strikes launched against them with high-precision munitions, resulting in fatalities, Shoigu said during a video conference on Tuesday.

“Over the past two weeks, over 500 mercenaries have left the country and about 600 more have been eliminated,” the minister said