Russia probes US citizen fighting for Ukraine

Russia’s Investigative Committee has announced a criminal investigation into US citizen Ryan O’Leary for his alleged participation in Ukraine’s military operation in Kursk Region.

The surprise Ukrainian incursion, launched in early August, targeted internationally recognized Russian territory in an effort to divert Moscow’s troops from other parts of the front line. Officials in Kiev also indicated that the captured territory could be used as a bargaining chip in future peace negotiations.

On Friday, the Investigative Committee stated it had “initiated a criminal case against Ryan O’Leary, a US citizen, who is suspected in absentia of committing a terrorist act and engaging in mercenary activities.” The investigators claim the suspect crossed into Russia’s Kursk Region during the August operation.

“The investigation is taking measures to establish O’Leary’s location,” the statement added.

A Ryan O’Leary was cursorily mentioned in a New York Times article back in July, which detailed alleged war crimes supposedly perpetrated by foreign fighters serving in the Ukrainian military. The newspaper quoted a German battlefield medic as saying that O’Leary was the de facto commander of the Chosen Company unit and a former US Army National Guardsman from Iowa.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Moscow has repeatedly said that foreign “mercenaries,” who Kiev describes as volunteers, are aiding Ukraine’s army in cross-border raids.

Last week, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced that it was investigating Brazilian national Lucas Ribeiro de Jesus. He is similarly suspected of illegally entering Kursk Region as well as torturing and killing two Russian POWs. According to the officials, the man was still at large.

In a separate case, Moscow’s Prosecutor’s Office reported on Thursday that a Russian court had sentenced Belgian national Jetmir Hussein in absentia to six years in prison for acting as a mercenary on Ukraine’s side. The 25-year-old is believed to have arrived in the Ukrainian city of Lviv in March 2022, joining the International Legion in exchange for “material compensation.”

At around the same time, a court in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic handed down a 13-year jail term in absentia to US Army veteran Alexander Grant Tobiassen on similar charges.

Earlier this month, a Russian court sentenced New Zealand national Jordan O’Brien to 14 years in jail in absentia for his role in the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk Region. The investigative agency said the man had been assisting the Ukrainian military as an instructor and battlefield soldier.