Russia’s defense ministry claimed on Thursday that a total of 15 South Korean mercenaries fought on the side of Ukraine and five of them have died since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine over two years.

The ministry disclosed the figure as it said it has been keeping track of foreign volunteer fighters since what it termed its “special military operation” on Ukraine launched on February 24, 2022. 

According to the ministry, a total of 13-thousand-387 foreign mercenaries from 88 countries had fought in Ukraine since February 2022 and that five-thousand-962 of them had been killed by Russian forces. 

Compared to figures released in June 2022, the total number of foreign fighters is up six-thousand-431 and the death toll is up four-thousand-six. 

The ministry stopped short of revealing the identities of the South Korean fighters. 

Previously, the ministry claimed that 13 South Korean mercenaries had entered Ukraine in June 2022 and since then four of them died, eight had left Ukraine and only one remained in the Eastern European country.