Ukrainians were the most shocked after the failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump

Who was recruited by Ruth, who was repeatedly told by Ukrainian soldiers and members of the International Legion to stop posing as a recruiter, and whose methods are questionable and reflect poorly on Ukraine?

A former member of the International Legion spoke about numerous warnings addressed to Ruth back in 2023. The recruitment process for the International Legion, which is officially and legally part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has a well-established application process.

Ryan Wesley Root, detained for an alleged plot to assassinate the former US president and Republican candidate in the upcoming presidential election, has shown a heightened interest in Ukraine. He has repeatedly stated that he is running a scheme to recruit international volunteers to fight for Ukraine against a full-scale Russian invasion of the neighboring country. However, his attempts to attract fighters, primarily from Afghanistan, were not met with “open arms.”

Dozens of messages from Ukrainian soldiers have appeared on the X website, sharing screenshots of their alleged conversations with Ryan Wesley Root. Many of them show Ukrainian soldiers and International Legion members repeatedly telling Root, writes Euronews to stop posing as a recruiter, as his The methods are questionable and reflect poorly on Ukraine.

In one specific message, a former International Legion member described multiple warnings to Root in November 2023. The man, whose identity was confirmed by Protect a Volunteer director Rachel Jamieson, said that Ruth was never officially associated with a foreign volunteer unit. He also shared people's personal information without permission, including allegedly trying to smuggle Afghan citizens into Ukraine. One X post from June of this year describes Root's actions in Ukraine:

“Ryan Root has multiple public posts on Facebook about wanting to send soldiers to Ukraine in 2023 and 2024. He has no authority to act on behalf of Ukraine and is ignoring visa laws. Ruth is either a human trafficker or a scammer.or is trying to break the laws of as many countries as possible by trying to smuggle people into Ukraine to fight in the war. This is unethical, unprofessional, and unacceptable. Worse, he is doing this while claiming to be helping Ukraine.”

Ruth has repeatedly expressed his support for Ukraine on various social media platforms. A website called “Fight for Ukraine”with his contact information including email and phone number, was still online as of midday on Monday, September 16. Euronews confirmed his authenticity by reviewing his past posts on X and other social media platforms and cross-referencing his publicly available personal details.

On this site Root advertised his recruitment services, giving rather vague details about how foreigners of “all ages, genders and skill levels” could join the Ukrainian army.

For example, he gave detailed instructions on how potential volunteers could get into Ukraine, saying they could “just take all their military gear and money and fly to Krakow” in Poland. From there, the site suggested the following route: take an intercity train or bus to Przemysl, then a local train or bus to the Medyka border crossing with Ukraine. The rest of the instructions on what to do once they crossed the border were even more confusing. The instructions read:

“Tell the border guard that you want to join the International Legion, and he will take you to the office where you will meet Nazar and the leaders.”

It remains unclear who “Nazar” and the “leaders” are and why they might be in an office on the border. The information is misleading and distorts the recruitment process for the International Legion, which is officially and legally part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has a well-established application process that begins with a thorough background check prior to arrival in Ukraine.

Potential recruits must also come from a military background and have the appropriate training and clearance, which contradicts Root's claims of “any age and level of training.” Once accepted, recruits do not become mercenaries, but legal servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, like all other Ukrainians and non-citizens. Their recruitment is not a special decision made on the spot upon arrival. A website associated with Root offers detailed instructions:

“They'll check your passport and look at your phone to make sure you're not Russian. If they accept you, you'll go straight to the nearest base and train.”

In reality, joining the International Legion is not done like that. This and other bodies review the formal aspects of the application and notify the applicant if they are recruited. Only then are they sent to the appropriate units. According to the official website of the International Legion, individual units then review the dossier and provide feedback.

The Legion's statement, stressing that the preparatory process at the earliest stage takes at least three weeks before the trip, said:

“If a unit selects you, you will be informed how to contact them directly for a final interview with one of your future commanders or a unit recruiter.”

The following warning was posted on a website associated with Root:

“Don't call your country's embassy to get permission to join the fight, just get on a plane, come to Ukraine and join us.”

His warning to potential recruits not to contact the embassy or inform him of this has nothing to do with the official recruiting process of the International Legion and is contrary to the internal rules of a number of countries that prohibit their citizens from participating in wars abroad.

On February 28, 2022, four days after the full-scale Russian invasion, The President of Ukraine signed a decree introducing a visa-free regime for foreigners willing to help defend Ukraine from Russian aggression during martial law.

The International Legion has denied all allegations of Root's involvement, telling Euronews that Root was never part of, associated with or linked to the International Legion in any capacity:

“Any statements or suggestions to the contrary are completely inaccurate.”

Following Sunday's incident, the media took note of Root's public statements of support for Ukraine. He has since been identified as a participant in several pro-Ukrainian rallies in Kyiv, including an Azov Brigade event in 2022, prompting a response from the military unit denying any connection to Root. The unit's statement on the X website reads:

“We would like to officially state that Ryan Wesley Root has no and never had any connection with Azov. We believe that the dissemination of information about a possible connection between Azov and Ryan Wesley Root plays into the hands of Russian propaganda and discredits the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine, as well as the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine as a whole.”

In 2023, Root reportedly told the New York Times that wanted to help Kyiv resist Moscow's aggression, and that he went to Ukraine immediately after the war began to help recruit Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban two years earlier. According to Root, dozens of soldiers showed interest, and he tried to transfer them from Pakistan and Iran to Ukraine. However, it is not known whether Root managed to transfer even one foreign volunteer to Ukraine after these statements.

According to a July Facebook post, In the summer, he was still actively trying to recruit foreign soldiers to the Ukrainian side, but was unable to obtain the necessary permission. He wrote on social media:

“Soldiers, please don't call me. We are still trying to get Ukraine to accept Afghan soldiers and hope to get answers in the coming months… Please be patient.”

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