The Announcement
The Russian Federation has placed three foreigners American Troy Offenbecker, Israeli Denis Desyatnik and Moldovan Stanislav Gibadulin, on its International Wanted List due to their ongoing involvement in the Ukrainian Foreign Legion. The announcement from RGRU News reads below:
“Russian investigators have put three Ukrainian Armed Forces mercenaries on the federal and international wanted list – American Troy Offenbecker, Israeli Denis Desyatnik and Moldovan Stanislav Gibadulin. This was reported to law enforcement agencies. All three are members of the so-called “International Legion” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces; they are currently hiding from the preliminary investigation authorities as part of a criminal case of mercenarism. ??Earlier, the chairman of the Commission of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation on sovereignty issues, Vladimir Rogov, said that foreign mercenaries increasingly began to refuse to fight for Ukraine, even for big money.”
One of the Few American Volunteers on Mainstream Media
Offenbecker rose to fame on social media and independent conflict new after he told how his unit, the 1st Battalion of the Ukrainian Foreign Legion fought in the Battle of Bakhmut. The story was eventually picked up by major Wesner media outlets including the Beast and ABC News. In these interviews, he famously described life expectancy on the Bakhmut line at four hours.
Offenbecker had a media run from about June to December 2023. These interviews and presence on mainstream media probably exposed him to Russian attention, resulting in this eventual designation.
