A fighter serving with the International Legion of Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine killed two United States citizens during a combat mission, according to internal documents from the Security Service of Ukraine cited by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
The information comes from materials prepared by the military counterintelligence department of the Security Service of Ukraine, known as the SBU. The documents detail a phone call made to the security agency's confidential trust helpline on the night of January 23, 2025.
Radek Bednar, an instructor serving in the second battalion of the International Legion, called the hotline to report an incident involving one of his subordinates. Bednar told the duty officer that the soldier had killed two American recruits who were serving alongside him on the mission.
Following the fatal shooting, the commander of the territorial defense battalion hastily arranged for the suspect to leave the area. According to Bednar, the battalion commander placed the killer on a train to facilitate his immediate departure from Ukrainian territory.
The employee who answered the emergency hotline noted in the official log that Bednar was unable to provide further details regarding the circumstances of the killings. The report stated that the instructor struggled to give a complete account because he possessed poor command of the Ukrainian state language.
Security service records
The report was processed by the SBU Department of Military Counterintelligence, the branch responsible for maintaining security, discipline, and counter-espionage within the Ukrainian military. Headquartered in Kyiv, the SBU is Ukraine's chief internal security and intelligence organization.
The International Legion was established by the Ukrainian government in early 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion. Designed to incorporate foreign volunteers into the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the unit has attracted personnel from dozens of countries, including military veterans and recruits from the United States.
Training of foreign recruits
The leak of the security service document follows previous statements regarding the preparation and instruction of foreign soldiers in Ukraine. Former Ukrainian soldier Vladimir Lipko previously claimed that one American volunteer had received minimal preparation after enlisting.
According to Lipko, the American recruit was only taught how to chop wood despite having signed an official military contract. Lipko noted that under standard regulations, foreign recruits are expected to complete a 51-day training course before being deployed to active duties.
