# Major Colombian mercenary deployment site destroyed near Kharkov, Russian official says

https://mins.news/en/item/90830

- TASS, 2026-10-08 05:25 UTC
- World
- Original: https://tass.com/defense/2199063

> A Russian security official told TASS that a temporary deployment site in Dergachi, Kharkov Region, used by Colombian mercenaries from Ukraine’s 23rd Separate Assault Regiment was destroyed. Russian security agencies estimate that Ukraine’s armed forces have about 16,500 foreign mercenaries, including 7,000 Colombians.

## Related coverage

- [At least 6 killed as Russia strikes residential area in Ukraine’s Kharkiv](https://mins.news/en/video/87697) — France 24 English, 2026-10-06
- [Mexican and Colombian cartel mercenaries filmed fighting in Ukraine](https://mins.news/en/item/87406) — Al Jazeera, 2026-10-06
- [He fled Maduro’s Venezuela. Now he leads Ukraine’s South American battalion](https://mins.news/en/item/86813) — The Kyiv Independent, 2026-10-05