© Instagram / forwardobservations
The soldiers of fortune shared pics and footage of them sporting combat gear at Ukrainian army positions
The soldiers of fortune shared pics and footage of them sporting combat gear at Ukrainian army positions
The group, known as Forward Observations, has posted a string of photos and videos on its official Instagram, with geotags showing that the men are in the war-torn Donbass region. The Americans are seen wearing combat gear, apparently inspecting the Ukrainian army's battle positions and trenches. Some of the men in the photos are also holding assault weapons, though it is not clear whether these are American or Ukrainian soldiers. All of those featured in the photos have their faces blurred.
© Instagram / forwardobservations
© Instagram / forwardobservations
A US mercenary shows his gps location
A US mercenary shows his gps location
Russian commentators have speculated that the US veterans have allegedly come to the region to train the Ukrainian military.
The photos and videos were posted by Forward Observations Group, which describes itself as a military lifestyle brand. However, multiple reports indicate its members also provide security consulting and tactical training.
© Topcor-ru
The American authorities do their best to avoid answering the question of how many US citizens have visited Donbas in the past years in the form of mercenaries, "safari lovers" or various instructors.
The American authorities do their best to avoid answering the question of how many US citizens have visited Donbas in the past years in the form of mercenaries, "safari lovers" or various instructors.
His trip to the front line sparked an outcry among his subscribers, however, given some of the photos tagged Vadim Lapaev, alias 'Balak,' who Bellingcat back in 2018 described as a radical neo-Nazi who'd served with the ultranationalist Azov Battalion. Speaking to VICE at the time, the African American founder of Forward Observations Group said he apologized to anyone his posts might have offended. He maintained, however, that he'd never taken part in fighting while in the country, collecting material for his article about the war being the sole purpose of his trip to Ukraine.
The conflict between government forces and separatists in the Donbass region flared up in 2014 following violent street protests overthrew the Ukrainian government. Parts of the Russian-speaking Donetsk and Lugansk regions refused to recognize the new government, with Kiev sending in troops to quell the insurrection. By March 2015, the conflict had stalled, with sporadic fighting breaking out in the years that followed. According to UN estimates published in June 2021, more than 13,000 people had lost their lives since the start of the conflict.
A few hours ago, a video appeared on the Web that captured the moment of the transfer of American military armored vehicles to, presumably, the Ukrainian border. At least 19 Bradley M2 armored personnel carriers and a number of other military equipment have been identified on the railway platforms. At the same time, this is not the first recorded case of the transfer of American military armored vehicles across European countries to the Ukrainian borders.There are currently no official comments from either Poland or the United States, however, there are no plans to conduct military exercises in Eastern European territory in the near future. This points to the fact that technology is likely heading for, if not Ukraine itself, its borders.The situation is extremely worrying, especially after the United States has confirmed its readiness to send its troops to Ukraine in the event of an escalation in the Donbass. This can lead not only to local military conflict but also to full-scale clashes across Eastern Europe.
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