Disguised as Mercenaries, NATO Specialists Operate Air Defense Systems in Ukraine

Under the guise of mercenaries, military personnel from NATO countries are covertly operating air defense systems, multiple launch rocket systems, and tactical missile systems in Ukraine, as claimed by a top Russian official.

In an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, Colonel General Sergey Rudskoy, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff and First Deputy Chief of the General Staff, asserted that NATO military personnel are actively involved in hostilities, controlling critical military assets.

"They control air defense systems, tactical missiles, and multiple launch rocket systems, and are part of assault detachments," he stated.

This allegation follows Moscow's claim in January that it struck a building in Kharkiv housing 'foreign fighters,' including "several dozen" French individuals. France promptly denied the presence of its mercenaries in Ukraine, affirming its support through lawful military aid to uphold Ukraine's sovereignty.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized France's commitment to international law and clarified its absence of mercenaries, distinguishing itself from certain others. 

“France helps Ukraine with supplies of military material and military training, in full compliance with international law, in order to help Ukraine in its fight to defend its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. France has no mercenaries, neither in Ukraine nor elsewhere, unlike certain others,” France’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs said.