Derrick Bales is to stand trial for committing a terrorist act in Russia’s Kursk Region, according to the Investigative Committee
A Russian court has ordered an arrest in absentia of US citizen Derrick Bales, who is being accused of mercenarism and of carrying out a terrorist act in Kursk during Ukraine’s incursion into the region in August, the Investigative Committee has said.
Derrick Bales is a former US infantryman and the owner of the Forward Observations Group, which refers to itself as a military-style brand that sells tactical gear and accessories but which Russia maintains is a private military company. The group has posted photos of Bales and other Americans fighting in Kursk and Donbass on its Instagram page.
On Wednesday, the committee announced it had completed a criminal investigation into Bales during which it obtained witness testimonies and examined documents as well as internet resources.
“Irrefutable evidence was collected in the criminal case, which fully confirmed the guilt of the defendant,” the body said in a statement, adding that it has formally charged Bales –in absentia– of “mercenarism and of committing a terrorist act in Kursk Region in late August 2024.”
At the request of investigators, a court made the decision to arrest Bales in absentia and to place him on the international wanted list, the Investigative Committee said.
The criminal case against Bales was originally opened by Russian investigators in October, when he was accused of mercenarism, of allegedly committing a terrorist act, of murder and of the attempted murder of two or more persons, of illegally crossing Russia’s state border and of using force against government representatives, among a litany of other alleged crimes.
According to investigators, Bales has been directly participating in the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a mercenary, acting as part of the Forward Observation Group PMC and fighting on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“Bales and other representatives of mercenary formations, acting with representatives of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and armed with automatic small arms and large-caliber firearms, using explosive devices, as well as military equipment, illegally crossed the state border of the Russian Federation at the end of August 2024 and invaded the territory of the Kursk region,” Russian investigators said.
In late October, the Committee also opened a criminal case in absentia against another American, Robert Werthman, who was accused of mercenarism and of other crimes while taking part in Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk Region.
