The combatants of the war in Donbas included foreign and domestic forces.
As of February 2018, the number of southeastern army separatist forces was estimated at 31,000, of which 80% (25,000) were Donbas residents, 15% (≈5,000) were military contractors from Russia and other countries, and 3% (900–1,000) are regular Russian Armed Forces personnel. This ratio had changed significantly from previous years, with "the Russian command gradually filling the armies of the 'republics' with locals".[1] since peaking in 2015.