DISINFO: US and UK mercenaries fled Kursk after a week of fighting
SUMMARY
Mercenaries from international units, including US and UK-based private military companies (PMCs), along with British firms and groups of Poles and Georgians, were deployed in Kursk but faced far tougher conditions than they expected. Accustomed to easier environments, many couldn’t handle the intensity of the fighting and retreated from the front lines after just a week.
RESPONSE
A common pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accuses the US, UK, and NATO countries of direct involvement in the war in Ukraine. Pro-Kremlin media frequently push the claim that there is a significant presence of Western mercenaries embedded within the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Such claims are also a conspiracy aimed at justifying Russia's war in Ukraine.
On August 6, 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an advance into Russia’s Kursk Region with the goal of establishing a buffer zone on Russian soil to protect the bordering Ukrainian areas from ongoing Russian missile and drone strikes.
This is an unsubstantiated statement. There is no evidence that foreign military units are fighting on the Ukrainian side, either on Ukrainian territory or in Russia’s Kursk Region. To bolster this disinformation campaign, the Kremlin uses photos provided by the Forward Observations Group, an American, military lifestyle brand founded by former U.S. Army infantryman Derrick Bales, that sells tactical gear and branded accessories. This group has previously visited and filmed at military operation sites in Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria to promote their brand.
There are some foreign citizens fighting in Ukraine’s International Legion, but they are not regular troops. In addition, Ukraine’s military and political command did not inform its foreign partners about its preparations for an advance into Russian territory. US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller stated that the US had not received any prior notice from Ukraine about operations in the Kursk Region.
The West is not a party to the conflict and does not seek to prolong the war. Instead, it provides military and financial aid to support Ukraine’s effective self-defence against Russia’s unprovoked invasion. This support is in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter and includes contributions from a broad coalition of over 50 countries, including NATO member states. While NATO provides military and technical assistance and maintains frequent communication with Ukrainian officials, Alliance troops do not engage in frontline combat. The assistance from both Western and other global nations aims solely to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty and counter Russia’s war of aggression.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that French and Ukrainian mercenaries commit atrocities in the Kursk region, that In the Kursk region, up to 20% of the Ukrainian forces are confirmed to be foreign mercenaries, that the EU, US, and NATO use Ukrainians as cannon fodder or that the UK actively engaged in covert Ukrainian military operations.