More info about detained in Belarus #WagnerGroup mercenaries is coming out. According to the Ukrainian media – it was planned for several months operation of Security Service of Ukraine #SBU. This story shows interesting trajectories of #ForeignFighters from Ukraine. #Thread 1/16
The aim of operation was to found and detain people responsible for shooting down the MH 17 plane in July, 2014 – both member of 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Federation and cooperating with them – so called pro-russian separatists (mainly mercenaries). 2/16
Operation has been planned and preparated for more than year by General Intelligence Board at Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Security Service of Ukraine #SBU and war crimes department at Attorney General's Office of Ukraine. 3/16
#SBU offered contract to protect oil fields in Venezuela, directed to circles of pro-russian mercenaries, employees of PMCs and #foreignfighters, active in the Eastern Ukraine in the side of Russia after 2014. 33 man answered positively (most of them from #WagnerGroup) 4/16
The plan for them was: arrival from Moscow to Minsk on July, 24. Next day – airplane from Minsk to Stambul (look on the map – via Ukrainian airspace). During this stage, the pilot (in fact – #SBU officer) was aimed to report problems and start an emergency landing in Kiev. 5/16
There mercenaries were to be detained by #SBU group, but the plan got complicated. During the meeting in the office of President the decision was made to postpone operation for couple days (to July, 30) at the request of – Andriy Yermak. 6/16
People who were to be present at the meeting: V. Zelensky (President), A. Yermak (Head of Presidential Administration), R. Demchenko (advisor), R. Maschovec (member of board), M. Levchenko (secretary of the President), R. Baranecky from SBU and V. Burba from MoD. 7/16
According to the ukrainian media, at that time there was an information leak which cause detention of mercenaries in Belarus. And after that – transmission of them to Russia on the August, 14. So far – Demchenko has been dismissed. @dszeligowski – do you know sth more? 8/16
Despite the lack of final success of the operation, it shows how active and creative are Ukrainian special service in the issue of tracking pro-russian fighters, responsible for war crimes in the Ukraine. The task is sometimes easier than it sounds. 9/16
For #mercenaries and #foreignfighters their experience is a pass to the next “adventure”, position. In that case – Russian mercenaries openly talked about their engagement in Ukraine in the side of Russia, cooperation with #WagnerGoup, other PMCs and paramilitary groups. 10/16
That is not first case when Ukrainian #SBU is conducting such a provocation, aimed at pro-russian fighters. In October 2016 they detained famous Rafael Lusvarghi – Brazilian pro-russian fighter present in Ukraine in the years 2014-2015 – at the Borispil Airport in Kiev. 11/16
Rafael has been lured in similar way – received a job offer as a security worker on the ships, departing from the port in Odessa. He came to Kiev with all proves of his earlier activity (among all – military record book, released by #DNR officials) and been detained. 12/16
Here some more info and video of that: tvn24.pl/ukraina-zatrzy…
#Russia has developed channels of systematic use #foreignfighters and #mercenarie in different conflicts – in Ukraine as propaganda faces or instructors. After that in #Syria or #Libya – as recruiting resource for its #PMCs. Venezuela was not surprising direction at all. 13/16
More about the consequences of #foreignfighters participation in ukrainian-russian conflict, their aftermath, rotation between conflicts and instrumentalization by Russia - I wrote couple months ago - bit.ly/319Op8h 14/16 
Not the last time when Ukrainian services tried such a game – as long as Russia is developing channels of recrutation (many open) of #mercenaries and #foreignfighters, it’s a opportunity to manipulate them. 15/16
In the same time – such a #foreignfighters will come to the surface in other places independently - in other conflicts, paramilitary and military units all over the world, or as a tool of hybrid warfare (f.e. Russian engagement in the coup in Montenegro in 2016) 16/16 END
