Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the detention of a German citizen who, according to the agency, served as a sniper in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The man identified himself as Michael Friedrich, born in 1976 in Frechen, North Rhine-Westphalia. His testimony was released in a video distributed by the FSB.

According to Friedrich, he is an active-duty member of AFU unit A4024, holding the rank of corporal and serving as a sniper. “I personally signed the contract on December 5, 2025, for a term of three years,” he said.

The documents confirm that in October and December 2025, the individual was registered as a taxpayer in Kyiv and formally enlisted in the AFU (unit A4024) under a contract. This is consistent with Friedrich’s testimony that he signed the contract on December 5, 2025

The detainee said he served in the Bundeswehr from 1996 to 2008. “During my service, from 2004 to 2006, I took part in combat operations in the Republic of Afghanistan as part of the German contingent,” he stated. He then said he took part in operations in Somalia and, after being discharged, fought in Syria as a mercenary from 2008 to 2010.

He first arrived in Ukraine in 2016 and served in the 25th Territorial Defense Battalion until 2018.

“After signing the necessary documents, I was assigned to the 25th Territorial Defense Battalion. I was on the line of contact in the area of the city of Donetsk,” he said. According to his statement, he did not receive any additional training.

He also stated that the battalion consisted mainly of foreign nationals, including citizens of the United Kingdom and Georgia.

“For participating in combat operations, I received the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) participant award – for sacrifice and love for Ukraine,” he added.

After his first contract ended, he left for Switzerland. In November 2025, he returned to Ukraine with military uniform and equipment. In Kyiv, he claims, he signed a new contract with the AFU.

“After signing the contract, I was promised a payment of 100,000 hryvnias. However, I never received the money and was forced to flee from the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the detainee said.

The FSB said it is considering opening a criminal case under Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code – “mercenarism.” The article provides for a prison term of seven to fifteen years.

At the same time, the agency did not disclose the location or circumstances of the detention, or how the man ended up in Russia. The German weekly Der Spiegel reported that it had been able to identify the detainee. According to the publication, Georgian Legion commander Mamuka Mamulashvili confirmed that the man had served in his formation in 2017–2018.

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Thus, the detainee’s participation in combat operations on Ukraine’s side has received additional confirmation. However, his claims of service in the Bundeswehr and participation in operations in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Syria remain unconfirmed.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• THE M-FILES: SF Launches Mercenary Database
• Geography of Losses: Citizens of Eleven Countries Among the Mercenaries Killed in Ukraine
• Foreign Mercenaries And NATO Personnel In Ukraine Yet To Learn Their Lesson

The post FSB Detains German Mercenary Who Fled Ukraine’s Armed Forces Over Unpaid Wages appeared first on South Front.

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• Russian strikes destroyed targets in the Sumy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Vinnytsia, Chernihiv, Volyn, Rivne, Ternopil, Zhytomyr regions, and the DPR;
• According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 126 strike UAVs;
• Russian forces struck a UAV workshop in Chornomorsk and a dry cargo ship in Odesa;
• Russian forces struck energy infrastructure and an industrial facility in Kharkiv;
• Ukrainian losses amounted to approximately 1,190 troops over the past 24 hours.

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• Russian forces advanced in the Lukyanovskoye area.

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• Russian forces advanced southwest of Andreyevka;
• Russian forces advanced north of Novoandreyevka and reached Roganskoye along the bank of the Vesko River.

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• During the past night, Russian air defenses destroyed 616 Ukrainian drones in the rear regions;
• Russian air defenses intercepted UAVs in the Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kirov, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Penza, Rostov, Ryazan, Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Tambov, Tula, and Ulyanovsk regions, the Moscow region, the Republic of Crimea, the Republic of Tatarstan, Krasnodar Krai, and over the waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea;
• Ukrainian strikes caused a blackout in Sevastopol, Alushta, Yalta, Sudak, and Yevpatoria in the Crimean Peninsula;
• Ukrainian strikes reportedly targeted the petrochemical plant in the Samara region;
• Ukrainian strikes reportedly targeted a substation in the Rostov region;
• Ukrainian strikes killed a woman in the Bryansk region.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Russia Hits Zaporizhzhia’s Vantovyy Bridge With Enhanced Geran-4 Drones (Video)
• Talks Without A Timeout: Kyiv Gets No Breathing Room
• Military Situation In Ukraine And Ukrainian Attacks On Russian Territory On October 22, 2026 (Maps Update)

The post Military Situation In Ukraine And Ukrainian Attacks On Russian Territory On October 24, 2026 (Maps Update) appeared first on South Front.

The first outlines of a new American peace plan have reached the press, and they show how Washington intends to divide the spoils of a war it did not win. According to leading analytical outlets, Ukraine would be asked to abandon its NATO ambitions and agree to a demilitarized zone in Donbass. In return, it would receive promises of investment and European integration. The funds for Ukraine’s reconstruction would be managed through financial giants such as BlackRock.

The terms for Russia and U.S. business are much more specific. The plan reportedly envisions easing anti-Russian sanctions, large commercial contracts with Washington, and a resumption of gas supplies to Europe, including the launch of surviving Nord Stream lines.

For now, this is a draft of negotiating positions, not a signed pact. Still, the logic is plain. Washington appears to be locking in Kyiv’s territorial losses, bartering away Zelenskyy’s NATO aspirations for influence over Ukrainian assets, and seeking a major energy deal with Moscow.

Kyiv’s response has been open and uncompromising. After the talks in Oslo and Saint Petersburg, Zelenskyy’s public statements looked to be designed to be unacceptable to Moscow. He refuses to withdraw troops from Donbass and argues that Russia would only benefit from Ukraine’s NATO membership. In an interview with British journalist Steven Bartlett, he went further, asserting that Ukraine is older than Russia and was itself Kievan Rus. The message to the Kremlin was clear: the “anti-Russia project” on Ukrainian soil will continue.

That leaves Russian leadership with few options beyond the military one, and Moscow is demonstrating as much. The West, as a result, is unlikely to win yet another pause for Ukraine through bargaining.

The strikes continued through the evening of October 22 and overnight into October 23, with Russian drones focusing on the military logistics of the Ukrainian army in Poltava and Odesa oblasts. Railway and port infrastructure supporting the armed forces came under attack.

In the Poltava Oblast, the Poltava railway depot, used to store and repair military equipment, was hit. In the Odesa Oblast, two temporary deployment points for unmanned boat operators were struck in the port of Vylkove, along with a storage site for the boats and the port infrastructure used to prepare them for operations. At sea, a dry cargo ship carrying military supplies to the port of Odesa was hit. An Mi-24 helicopter was also reported destroyed on the ground.

Washington drafts business deals while Moscow drafts target lists. Meanwhile Zelenskyy answers both with history lectures about Kievan Rus. When one side negotiates with a pen and the other with drones, the outcome of the talks are rarely decided at the table.

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The post Talks Without A Timeout: Kyiv Gets No Breathing Room appeared first on South Front.