Since the beginning of the Ukrainian military operation in Kursk region, Russian propaganda telegram channels and media have been actively spreading narratives about “foreign mercenaries” fighting in Kursk region. To confirm their narratives, they used photos belonging to the Forward Observations Group account on the social network Instagram.
The Forward Observations Group is an American security and tactical training consultancy and military equipment brand. It was founded by former US Army infantryman Derrick Bales. To promote their brand, they shoot videos from places where military operations are taking place. His group has already visited Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria.
“American mercenaries have confirmed that they are participating in the occupation of the Kursk region.
On the Forward Observations Group PMC's Instagram page (banned in Russia), Western military personnel pose next to an HMMWV armored vehicle as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces invasion group.
The geolocation indicates the Kursk region and the caption under the publication The boys in Kursk. In the center of the photo is FOG founder Derrick Bales,” Russian telegram channels circulated.
The photo with the alleged American mercenaries was taken by Vyacheslav Ratynsky, a Ukrainian documentary photographer and photojournalist for Reuters in the Sumy region. The photo shows Ukrainian soldiers.
On August 14, 2024, the British newspaper The Telegraph illustrated the article “Ukraine seized more land in a week than Russia did in eight months” with Viacheslav's photo.
Ukrainian military near the Russian border. It is believed that the seized territory could be used as a bargaining chip in any peace talks. Photo by Vyacheslav Ratynsky for Reuters
The author of the article compares the advance of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region and the Russian army in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions and analyzes the speed of the Russian advance.
The article mentions the Russian tactics, namely “infantry offensive and a continuous firewall,” which allow them to advance in eastern Ukraine. This was the case with Avdiivka in February 2024, and now Russian troops are approaching the strategically important city of Pokrovsk.
“The advance through scorched earth tactics accelerated with the capture of Avdiivka, an industrial city in Donetsk, in February 2024. This paved the way for the capture of more territory, as Ukrainian defense forces lacked ammunition amid a delay in US aid,” the British publication explains.
Another photo from the Forward Observations Group's Instagram page, dated August 21, was also actively shared by propaganda Telegram channels. It allegedly shows “American mercenaries” on the territory of a playground in the Kursk region.
“The American PMC Forward Observations Group, which published photos of its militants in the Kursk region, posted a picture of a mortar position next to a playground,” the telegram channel Ukraine.ru reported.
However, on June 24, 2023, another photo was published on the Forward Observations Group's Instagram page, which was identical in terms of terrain, location, and objects, with the location marked “Ukraine”.
A photo identical in detail was also published in the summer of 2023 by other resources. This means that the photo, which was picked up by Russian telegram channels, is at least as recent as August 2023. An independent fact-checking project by the NGO Gvara Media helped to establish this fact.
The narrative about “foreign mercenaries” is spreading inseparably from another narrative about “atrocities committed by foreign mercenaries in the Kursk region.” The propagandists claim that “foreign mercenaries” have been fighting in Ukraine since before the full-scale invasion and that their share in the Ukrainian Armed Forces exceeds 50%. The Russian authorities call them criminals and attribute them with the most brutal crimes.
Lenta.ru citing TASS:
“Mercenaries are the most cruel to civilians.
According to the agency's source, fighters from the United States, Poland and France have been spotted on the Kursk border.”
The main purpose of such fakes is for the Russian authorities to show that they are at war with the “collective West” and not with Ukraine. The propagandists substitute concepts by calling the foreign legion, which is part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, “mercenaries,” thus trying to devalue the heroism of the Ukrainian army and discredit it.
“Foreigners who serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine receive the same financial support as Ukrainian citizens. This is stated in Article 21-3 of the Law of Ukraine “On Military Duty and Military Service,” explains StopFake. “Ukraine does not take any actions aimed at ‘recruiting’ either on its territory or abroad.”
Foreigners who do not want to sign a contract with the Armed Forces join volunteer battalions. They do not receive material benefits, but fight “for an idea.” But they are not “mercenaries” either.
“In general, the term 'mercenary' means that a person participates in the war but is not part of the armed forces of a country. Mercenaries are usually recruited by third parties, and then they receive a monetary reward for their work,” Detector Media explains.
The material was created by:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Yana Yevmenova
Editor-in-chief: Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Site manager: Vladyslav Kukhar
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Since the beginning of the Ukrainian military operation in Kursk region, Russian propaganda telegram channels and media have been actively spreading narratives about “foreign mercenaries” fighting in Kursk region. To confirm their narratives, they used photos belonging to the Forward Observations Group account on the social network Instagram.
The Forward Observations Group is an American security and tactical training consultancy and military equipment brand. It was founded by former US Army infantryman Derrick Bales. To promote their brand, they shoot videos from places where military operations are taking place. His group has already visited Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria.
“American mercenaries have confirmed that they are participating in the occupation of the Kursk region.
On the Forward Observations Group PMC's Instagram page (banned in Russia), Western military personnel pose next to an HMMWV armored vehicle as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces invasion group.
The geolocation indicates the Kursk region and the caption under the publication The boys in Kursk. In the center of the photo is FOG founder Derrick Bales,” Russian telegram channels circulated.
The photo with the alleged American mercenaries was taken by Vyacheslav Ratynsky, a Ukrainian documentary photographer and photojournalist for Reuters in the Sumy region. The photo shows Ukrainian soldiers.
On August 14, 2024, the British newspaper The Telegraph illustrated the article “Ukraine seized more land in a week than Russia did in eight months” with Viacheslav's photo.
Ukrainian military near the Russian border. It is believed that the seized territory could be used as a bargaining chip in any peace talks. Photo by Vyacheslav Ratynsky for Reuters
The author of the article compares the advance of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region and the Russian army in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions and analyzes the speed of the Russian advance.
The article mentions the Russian tactics, namely “infantry offensive and a continuous firewall,” which allow them to advance in eastern Ukraine. This was the case with Avdiivka in February 2024, and now Russian troops are approaching the strategically important city of Pokrovsk.
“The advance through scorched earth tactics accelerated with the capture of Avdiivka, an industrial city in Donetsk, in February 2024. This paved the way for the capture of more territory, as Ukrainian defense forces lacked ammunition amid a delay in US aid,” the British publication explains.
Another photo from the Forward Observations Group's Instagram page, dated August 21, was also actively shared by propaganda Telegram channels. It allegedly shows “American mercenaries” on the territory of a playground in the Kursk region.
“The American PMC Forward Observations Group, which published photos of its militants in the Kursk region, posted a picture of a mortar position next to a playground,” the telegram channel Ukraine.ru reported.
However, on June 24, 2023, another photo was published on the Forward Observations Group's Instagram page, which was identical in terms of terrain, location, and objects, with the location marked “Ukraine”.
A photo identical in detail was also published in the summer of 2023 by other resources. This means that the photo, which was picked up by Russian telegram channels, is at least as recent as August 2023. An independent fact-checking project by the NGO Gvara Media helped to establish this fact.
The narrative about “foreign mercenaries” is spreading inseparably from another narrative about “atrocities committed by foreign mercenaries in the Kursk region.” The propagandists claim that “foreign mercenaries” have been fighting in Ukraine since before the full-scale invasion and that their share in the Ukrainian Armed Forces exceeds 50%. The Russian authorities call them criminals and attribute them with the most brutal crimes.
Lenta.ru citing TASS:
“Mercenaries are the most cruel to civilians.
According to the agency's source, fighters from the United States, Poland and France have been spotted on the Kursk border.”
The main purpose of such fakes is for the Russian authorities to show that they are at war with the “collective West” and not with Ukraine. The propagandists substitute concepts by calling the foreign legion, which is part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, “mercenaries,” thus trying to devalue the heroism of the Ukrainian army and discredit it.
“Foreigners who serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine receive the same financial support as Ukrainian citizens. This is stated in Article 21-3 of the Law of Ukraine “On Military Duty and Military Service,” explains StopFake. “Ukraine does not take any actions aimed at ‘recruiting’ either on its territory or abroad.”
Foreigners who do not want to sign a contract with the Armed Forces join volunteer battalions. They do not receive material benefits, but fight “for an idea.” But they are not “mercenaries” either.
“In general, the term 'mercenary' means that a person participates in the war but is not part of the armed forces of a country. Mercenaries are usually recruited by third parties, and then they receive a monetary reward for their work,” Detector Media explains.
The material was created by:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Yana Yevmenova
Editor-in-chief: Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Site manager: Vladyslav Kukhar
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