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After the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a military operation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Russian propaganda Telegram channels and media outlets began actively spreading narratives about “foreign mercenaries” allegedly fighting there. To “prove” these claims, they used photographs from the Instagram account of Forward Observations Group.
Forward Observations Group is a U.S. company that provides security and tactical training consulting, as well as a military-gear brand. It was founded by former U.S. Army infantryman Derrick Bales. To promote their brand, they film videos in places where fighting is underway. The group has previously been in Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria.
“American mercenaries have confirmed they are taking part in the occupation of Kursk Oblast.
On the Instagram page of PMC Forward Observations Group (banned in Russia), Western servicemen pose next to an HMMWV armored vehicle as part of a Ukrainian Armed Forces incursion group.
The geotag shows Kursk Oblast, and the caption reads ‘The boys in Kursk.’ In the center of the photo is FOG founder Derrick Bales.”
The photo allegedly showing American mercenaries was taken by Viacheslav Ratynskyi, a Ukrainian documentary photographer and Reuters photojournalist, in the border area of Sumy Oblast. The image shows Ukrainian soldiers.
On Aug. 14, 2024, the British newspaper The Telegraph illustrated its article “Ukraine seizes more land in a week than Russia did in eight months” with Ratynskyi’s photo.
Ukrainian soldiers near the Russian border. The seized territory is believed to be usable as leverage in any peace negotiations. Photo by Viacheslav Ratynskyi for Reuters. The author compares the advance of Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast with that of the Russian army in Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts and analyzes the pace of Russia’s progress. The article mentions Russia’s tactics—an “infantry advance and a continuous curtain of fire”—which has enabled them to move forward in eastern Ukraine. This was the case in Avdiivka in February 2024, and Russian forces are now approaching the strategically important city of Pokrovsk.
“Progress driven by scorched-earth tactics accelerated after the capture in February 2024 of Avdiivka, an industrial city in Donetsk. This opened the way to seize more territory, as Ukraine’s defense forces were short of ammunition amid delays in U.S. assistance,” the British outlet explains.
Another photo from Forward Observations Group’s Instagram page, dated Aug. 21, was also widely circulated by propaganda Telegram channels. It supposedly showed “American mercenaries” at a children’s playground in Kursk Oblast.
“The American PMC Forward Observations Group, which published photos of itsfighters in Kursk Oblast, posted an image of a mortar crew’s firing positionnext to a children’s playground.”
However, on Forward Observations Group’s Instagram page, another photo was posted back onJune 24, 2023 that is identical in landscape details, positioning, andobjects—taken at the same place and time—with the location tag marked“Ukraine.”
The same photo—identical in details—was also published by other outlets in summer 2023. In other words, the image circulated by Russian Telegram channels dates to at least August 2023. This was established by the independent fact-checking project of the NGO Gwara Media.
The narrative about “foreign mercenaries” is inseparable from another narrative about the “atrocities of foreign mercenaries in Kursk Oblast.” Propagandists claim that “foreign mercenaries” have been fighting in Ukraine since before the full-scale invasion and that their share in Ukraine’s Armed Forces now exceeds 50%. Russian authorities label them criminals and attribute the most brutal crimes to them.
Lenta.ru, citing TASS:
“Mercenaries behave most brutally toward civilians.
According to the agency’s source, fighters from the U.S., Poland, and France have been recorded near the Kursk border area.”
The main purpose of such fakes is for the Russian authorities to portray the war as one against the “collective West,” rather than against Ukraine. Propagandists substitute concepts by calling the foreign legion—a unit within the Armed Forces of Ukraine—“mercenaries,” trying to diminish the heroism of Ukraine’s military and discredit it.
“Foreignnationals serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine receive the same monetaryallowance as Ukrainian citizens. This is stated in Article 21-3 of Ukraine’sLaw ‘On Military Duty and Military Service,’” StopFake explains. “Ukraine doesnot take any actions aimed at ‘recruiting’ people either on its own territoryor abroad.”
Foreigners who do not want to sign a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine join volunteer battalions. They do not receive material gain and fight “for the idea.” But they are not “mercenaries” either.
“In general, the term ‘mercenary’ means a person takes part in a war but is not part of the armed forces of a particular country. Mercenaries are usually recruited by third parties and later receive monetary compensation for their work,” Detector Media explains.
This material was produced with the support of The Fritt Ord Foundation.
Worked on the piece:
Topic researcher, text author: Yana Yevmenova
Photo editor: Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary editor: Yuliia Futei
