Russia's Defense Ministry on Thursday threatened citizens of Western countries coming to fight against Moscow in Ukraine, and said it would not treat them as prisoners of war.
The ministry said - in a press briefing - that all Western mercenaries who come to fight in Ukraine will not be treated as prisoners of war.
This came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced - in a speech to his people today, Thursday - that his country would receive the first batch of foreign fighters, numbering 16 thousand volunteers, to defend the freedom of Ukraine and its people.
Zelensky said that the Russians changed tactics because of our steadfastness, and we tell Russia that it will pay for its actions against our people and our country.
Zelensky had signed a presidential decree allowing foreign volunteers who wanted to support Ukraine against the Russian war to enter the country without a visa.
The presidential decree stated that starting from March 1, a visa-free entry system will be introduced, allowing foreigners who wish to join the International Corps of Ukraine temporarily during the period of martial law, except for Russian citizens.
Following Zelensky's announcement of the "International Legion", the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said it was working to establish a new unit to accommodate foreign fighters who wished to volunteer to fight alongside the Ukrainian forces.
The Washington Post pointed out that Zelensky did not explain where these volunteers would come from, explaining that most of the foreign fighters who are currently in Ukraine since the 2014 takeover of parts of Donbass region by pro-Russian separatists from former Soviet states such as Georgia and Belarus.
Since the Ukrainian declaration, Latvia has allowed its own citizens to fight in Ukraine, but Denmark and Canada have warned of the dangers of joining, and the United Kingdom has deemed it inappropriate for civilians to join the fight.
In America, the State Department warned against violating a law prohibiting recruitment into foreign armies while on American soil.
And Russia launched - at dawn on February 24 last - a military operation in Ukraine, which was followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of severe economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.