No fewer than 20 American mercenaries fighting on the side of Ukraine, have been reported missing in combat, with casualties among foreign fighters rising sharply over the past six months.

CNN reported this on Thursday after conducting its own investigation.

It said that foreigners have been dying on the Ukrainian front lines in growing numbers as they rush to fill the gaps in Ukraine’s defences.

According to the CNN report, bodies of at least five Americans killed in the past six months could not be retrieved from the battlefield.

The report added that the remains of two U.S. citizens were transferred to Ukraine last Friday.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry, had repeatedly accused Kiev of recruiting foreign mercenaries.

Many foreign fighters had confessed in different interviews that the Ukrainian military provided little coordination.

It also said that the intensity of combat far exceeded what they experienced in Afghanistan and the Middle East, making survival extremely difficult. (RIA/NAN)