DISINFO: Ukrainian army admits mercenaries from 50 countries fight on Kyiv's side
SUMMARY
The Telegram channel of Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) recently published a video marking the anniversary of HUR's 'Foreign Legion,' in which it directly admits that mercenaries from over 50 countries are fighting in the unit.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative falsely portraying foreign volunteers fighting on Ukraine's side as 'mercenaries.'
The disinformation is based on an official statement from the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, published on March 7, the anniversary of the creation of the International Legion of Ukrainian Military Intelligence. The statement notes that “The Legion united volunteers from more than 50 countries of the world, who, after a full-scale invasion, came to the aid of Ukrainians and began to fight the troops of terrorist Russia,” the report says.
The Legion of Military Intelligence of Ukraine is a unit of foreign military volunteers, often veterans of military service. This is an official military unit that undertakes to comply with the Constitution of Ukraine, the Charter of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and international laws signed by Ukraine. You can learn more about their work by watching a documentary about foreigners fighting for Ukraine against Russia.
Foreign volunteers, who officially joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in accordance with the 1977 protocol to the Geneva Conventions (Part I, Article 1), fight against the Russian occupiers in Ukraine absolutely legally, as they are part of the structure of subordination to Ukrainian government agencies.
Mercenaries, on the other hand, participate in armed conflicts illegally and can be held criminally liable for participating in hostilities. Mercenaries, according to international law, are not citizens or official military personnel of a belligerent state.
There are no such mercenaries in Ukraine - foreign voluntary units are part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. While Russia has repeatedly attracted both absolutely illegal private military companies like Wagner group and illegal mercenaries from Syria for the war against Ukraine.
See other cases about NATO in our database: NATO is waging a proxy war against Russia; NATO created a unit for a surprise attack on Russia; West is waging an undeclared war against Russia and Belarus; Russia fights the collective West, not just Ukraine.