Russian state-owned media agency RIA Novosti has published a video of a masked soldier from the Russian armed forces claiming that Polish women have been among those fighting for Ukraine on the frontline.
As reported by Polsat news, the video that was widely shared on Russian propaganda channels on Tuesday claims to show testimony from a military officer who was supposedly fighting in the Kharkiv area. The soldier claims that Ukraine have been using drones to drop bombs.
He then goes on to claim that Ukraine is using mercenaries among their troops, stating that “there were Polish women among them. Our people saw them very clearly. Their bodies were later collected”.
This reference to the use of mercenaries by the opposition has been a recurring theme in Russian military propaganda both of today and of the past. During the wars against Afghanistan and Chechnya, Russian propaganda made claims that their opponents had recruited snipers and commandos from the Baltic countries. However, to this day, not a single mercenary has been captured.
Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russians have been explaining their defeats by blaming alleged entire units of mercenaries from NATO countries – including Poland. No evidence has been provided.
RIA Novosti has also previously made specific claims of the “crimes of Polish mercenaries” in the Kharkiv region. This case was subsequently taken up by the Russian Investigative Committee.
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