Turkish mercenary in Ukrainian army poses with Nazi flags

Duvar English

The presence of Nazi flags among the belongings left behind by Eyüp Görkem Yılmaz, a 20-year-old Turkish mercenary fighting in the Ukrainian army who fled before Russians captured their station, sparked controversy on social media.

Yılmaz, who had been serving in the Zaporizhzhia city for the past few months, escaped a Russian raid on Oct. 10 with minor injuries.

However, images of the equipment he left behind at the barracks along with his personal documents were published by a Russian-backed Telegram channel. Among the items he left behind were Nazi symbols and a patch from the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

In an interview with online news platform Serbestiyet, the 20-year-old mercenary stated, "I work under the 60th Mechanized Brigade, meaning I am officially part of the Ukrainian army. I have no connection to any legion."

The soldier stated he was originally from Trabzon province’s Of districts but he has a step family in Ukraine. He added, “My parents are Turkish, and my family without blood ties is Ukrainian. Similarly, there are Crimean Tatar Turks. A Turk must protect another Turk. A Turk has no friend other than another Turk."

Yılmaz stated that he has been a nationalist and said, “I prioritize Turkey and Ukraine above everything else. These two nations are my nations."

Yılmaz stated that the items with Nazi symbols were meant for "fun." 

He added, "I am absolutely not a Nazi. I wear them purely for the sake of humor. The FSA flag was a gift from a dear friend of mine. I also have the Turkish flag and the Ukrainian flag. I could put up the Georgian flag as well; that doesn’t mean I’m Georgian. I'm just having fun."

Yılmaz discussed the legal implications of his actions, stating, “According to Turkish Penal Code (TCK), enlisting in foreign military forces is a crime. So, This is not investment advice.” 

He later elaborated on his financial compensation for his service, “You receive a certain salary every month, around 400 dollars. Additionally, there’s a bonus for staying in a dangerous area, which is about 2,500 to 3,000 liras per day. If you complete 30 days, you can earn an additional bonus of around 55,000 to 60,000 liras. So, altogether, it amounts to approximately 4,800 dollars for a month, as long as you don’t leave the trench. But it’s not worth it.”

Yılmaz added that he spent the money on the computer game “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” or on weapons equipment. He added that he has not been the only Turkish mercenary in the Ukrainian army.

Lastly, Yilmaz urged others to vote for the far-right Victory Party (ZP) in Turkish elections.

In several parts of the interview, Yılmaz used extensive racial slurs and racist remarks against Jews, Arabs, and Kurds. He claimed that those who opposes him would be either part of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), communist or "Arab lovers" along with other slurs.