Video fake: Syrian who fought in AFU deceived in Ukraine

Recently, Russian Telegram channels published a post supported by a video. It features an alleged Syrian soldier who recently returned from the war in Ukraine. According to the video, he fought on the side of Ukraine for three months, and then received funds and returned to Syria. Already in his homeland, the Syrian decided to buy a motorcycle, but the seller discovered that the money was fake. In the video, the man shows fake dollars that he supposedly received in Ukraine for his service and emphasizes that Ukrainians are fooling Syrians.

This is fake. Citizens of other countries are fighting in Ukraine as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As reported, the International Legion is a motorized rifle division, and a volunteer fighter must have been able to perform missions precisely as part of an infantry unit.

As the Legion representatives told Ukrinform in a comment, not a single Syrian served or serves now in the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In addition, according to the Legion representatives, foreigners receive their salaries in hryvnias on a card in a Ukrainian bank, not in cash in dollars as the propagandists showed in the video.

As for representatives of the International Legion in general, the Russians often try to speculate that mercenaries are fighting on the side of Ukraine.

This runs counter to international law. However, according to the Geneva Convention, volunteers who serve in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are combatants, therefore, unlike mercenaries, they participate in military operations legally. At the end of last year, Ukrinform already debunked the fake about 5,000 Polish "mercenaries" fighting for Ukraine.

Dmytro Badrak