re: Three American mercenaries with 'USA flag in backpack' killed in Ukraine - Russian media

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The National Guard Bureau is refuting claims that Tennessee National Guard members were killed in Ukraine, rebuking what officials called a “patently false” Russian media report. Russian media outlet Pravda reported that three members of the Tennessee National Guard died while fighting in Ukraine, calling the men “mercenaries,” and even listing names for those they claimed died.

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The three soldiers identified in the article are either current or former members of the Tennessee National Guard,” the NGB statement reads. “They are accounted for, safe and not, as the article headline erroneously states, US mercenaries killed in Donetsk People’s Republic.” NGB’s statement also accused Russian media of targeting the individuals because of articles from 2018 carried on the Pentagon website DVIDS. Photos were taken of the troops at the time because they were deployed as part of the Multinational Training Group-Ukraine under the Tennessee Guard’s 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment. More than 200 soldiers assisted the Ukrainian armed forces during the 2018 mission. While there, they helped with the development of cadre, ranges and training areas; equipment and instrumentation requirements, and a realistic operational training environment.

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