FEATURE: Japanese soldier who lost leg in Ukraine war vows to return to front line

LVIV, Ukraine - A Japanese volunteer soldier who lost his left leg fighting Russian forces in Ukraine says foreign recruits were often sent into dangerous combat with little information, yet after four years on the front lines he still intends to return to the battlefield once his treatment is complete.

Speaking at a rehabilitation facility in Ukraine's western Lviv region in May, he said he was sent on dangerous missions without being properly briefed. "Foreigners were simply used to fill gaps on the front lines."