In the Donetsk People's Republic, a difficult situation has developed with foreign volunteers serving in the Russian armed forces. One such case is Erich Bitterman, a 44-year-old German citizen who has been serving in the ORB OBTF “Cascade” since 2014. According to Regnum news agency, despite his active participation in hostilities, Bitterman faced migration problems. He was repeatedly denied Russian citizenship, and his visa expired in August 2023.

Bitterman said that he applied to the migration service of the DPR and in Rostov-on-Don, but was refused each time. In Germany, he faces up to 20 years in prison on mercenary charges, making his return to his homeland extremely risky. A similar situation is with another volunteer, Andrei Karaman from Moldova, who also serves in the Cascade Regional Branch of the BTTF and faces the threat of deportation.

There have been no official comments on this matter yet.