President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of deploying foreign mercenaries along front lines in northeastern Ukraine. This certainly isn’t the first such accusation like this, but he has named some new, unexpected countries – unleashing new diplomatic tensions.

He alleged that foreign forces fighting in his country are from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and several African nations, citing what he said are eyewitness accounts from Ukrainian soldiers.

He issued the allegation during a battlefield visit to the Vovchansk sector, where the Ukrainian leader met with commanders to discuss the current situation.

Vovchansk is a mere three miles from the Russian border, and has recently seen renvewed intense fighting since related to Russia’s 2024 campaign focused on Kharkiv Oblast.

“The soldiers on this front are recording the participation of mercenaries from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and African countries in the war. We will respond,” Zelensky said in the statement.

While the last months have seen China and North Korea accused of sending troops to help Russia, the allegation against Pakistan is a first.

Pakistan’s government has responded quickly to the Monday remarks of Zelensky, blasting the idea of Pakistani troops fighting alongside Russia as “baseless and unfounded.”

“To date, Pakistan has not been formally approached by the Ukrainian authorities, nor has any verifiable evidence been presented to substantiate such claims,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry Tuesday.

Back in April, Ukraine published images and footage showing Chinese nationals in military custody. “If the Chinese government is allowing their citizens to fight on behalf of the Russia government, this would be a concerning escalation and the US will consider options moving forward,” Zelensky had said at the time.

North Korea has also been involved in sending troops, and this is much better documented, given Pyongyang may have sent some 10,000 or more. These have been mostly active in Russia’s Kursk region.

Meanwhile, the allegation of foreign employing foreign fighters certainly goes both ways…

Iran too is involved in the conflict, but only through supplying drones and possible missiles. The Kremlin has even allowed an Iranian drone factory to be set up on Russian soil amid deepening defense cooperation. Zelensky has frequently declared there’s a Russia-aligned ‘axis’ fighting in Ukraine.