Urgent Press Statement: Some Foreign Volunteers Endanger Lives Through Reckless Visibility in Ukraine

PRESS RELEASE

By an anonymous organization

Identities have been redacted for legal reasons

For Immediate Release

Date: May 07, 2025

“War Is Not a Backdrop”: Why the Visibility of Certain Foreign Volunteers Has Become Deadly

DNIPRO / KRAMATORSK, Ukraine —

What began as genuine aid at the border has morphed into a media-driven operation in the heart of a war zone. Certain foreign volunteers are now operating in a manner that many field professionals consider reckless, visible, and dangerous — both for themselves and for everyone around them.

Before Kramatorsk: Repeated Warnings

In the months leading up to the missile strike on the Ria Lounge in Kramatorsk on June 27, 2023, certain foreign volunteers received multiple explicit warnings from military units, local volunteers, and field coordinators:

• Do not post your location.

  
  

• Do not use sticker-covered vehicles.

  
  

• Break your routines.

Certain foreign volunteers did the opposite. Their van — a conspicuous car marked with logos and foreign text — was publicly shared and parked in front of the restaurant for days, often around the same time.

Kramatorsk: 13 Dead, an Unbelievable Story

The attack killed 13 people. Certain foreign volunteers stated they were inside eating. But their own footage and condition showed:

• No hearing damage or disorientation

  
  

• No debris, dust, smoke, injuries, or panic

  
  

• No signs of fleeing or aiding victims

  
  

• Instead: calm video footage, coherent speech, physically unharmed

According to forensic experts, their account is highly implausible. Their behavior is inconsistent with surviving a direct strike — but matches that of recording media from a safe distance.

Undeniable Evidence: Their Van Marked the Target

An hour before the strike, a Russian collaborator filmed the restaurant with their van clearly visible. That footage was sent to Russian intelligence services.

The attack followed shortly thereafter. The collaborator was arrested; an international news outlet NOS published the evidence in late 2024.

Their visibility marked the target. The result: 65 dead.

After Kramatorsk: The Exact Same Behavior

Instead of changing their approach:

• They introduced a visibly branded armored evacuation vehicle,

  
  

• Posted videos of the vehicle and its anti-drone gear on social media,

  
  

• Deployed it in frontline villages — where visibility is literally life-threatening.

Public Stay in a High-Risk Area: The Bartolomeo Hotel

In April 2025, these volunteers publicly stated:

“When we stayed in Dnipro, we usually slept at the Bartolomeo Hotel […]. A few weeks ago, the hotel restaurant was hit by multiple Shahed drones […]. We filmed the aftermath. Despite everything, we decided to keep sleeping in one of the bungalows.”

“What do you think: is it safer to sleep in the park bungalows or a hotel elsewhere in the city?”

Facts:

• They remain visibly present in a recently targeted area;

  
  

• They name the location;

  
  

• They publish their stay on social media despite repeated warnings.

Staying in cities like Dnipro is actively discouraged by both the military and humanitarian organizations. Their visibility puts civilians, aid workers, and refugees at direct risk.

April 18, 2025: Filming During a Deadly Drone Attack

On April 18, 2025, certain individuals published a report on a heavy Shahed drone attack in Dnipro.

They were only a few hundred meters from several impacts, including one that killed a child.

• They put on their vests,

  
  

• Stayed on site,

  
  

• Filmed at least eight strikes,

  
  

• Posted the footage with specific hashtags that identified them as foreign volunteers.

Filming and publishing active strikes in civilian areas is forbidden, dangerous, and irresponsible. It provides valuable intelligence to enemy forces.

Moreover: those filming from such proximity were in the exact place where others died.

A Film Without Accountability

In early 2025, a documentary was released. It follows these volunteers' journey and emotions — but omits:

• The repeated warnings they received;

  
  

• The deadly consequences of their visibility;

  
  

• Their filming during active attacks;

  
  

• The risks they create for those around them.

Final Statement

War is not a set. Not a show. Not a platform for promotion.

Anyone who continues to make themselves visible in active war zones — despite deaths, warnings, and evidence — bears responsibility.

These individuals:

• Publicly posted their locations,

  
  

• Filmed themselves instead of victims,

  
  

• Were directly linked to the marking of a target,

  
  

• Repeated the same behavior in future attacks.

They are no longer field volunteers. They have become a visible risk factor — in a war where visibility kills.

This must stop. Not tomorrow — now.

Before their next video claims more victims. Before their next visible decision costs more lives.

This behavior is not brave. It is lethal.

There is little hope left for insight or responsibility on their part.

-- End of statement --