Ryan David OLeary, an American highter and a veteran of the US National Guard, has been listed by Russia as a terrorist and extremist.
The list was released by the Russian Financial Supervisory Agency over the weekend, along with sanctions such as asset freezes, access to banking services and other financial restrictions.
Accordingly, O'Leary is the leader of a group of mercenaries named "Chosen Company" wanted by Russia for their involvement in the Kursk region attack. This person was accused of illegally entering Russian territory and committing acts of terrorism against civilians.
The "Chosen Company" unit was established in February 2022, right after the conflict between Moscow and Kiev broke out. The group was originally named Swedish Volunteer Unit 312 under the leadership of Swedish veteran Edvard Selander Patrignani, who was later killed in action. After Patrignani's death, O'Leary took over and expanded the unit into a group of mercenaries consisting of members from many Western countries.
During its activities, the "Chosen Company" group was repeatedly accused of committing war crimes in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. According to Caspar Grosse, a former German nurse who fought with the group, the unit's gunmen executed wounded, surrendered or arrested Russian soldiers. Although Grosse said it had reported these acts, O'Leary firmly denied and defended its members.
Recently, Ryan David O'Leary has turned to criticizing the Ukrainian military, accusing the commander of having weak capabilities and considering soldiers as " bullet support". Earlier this month, O'Leary announced that he had dissolved the Chosen Company and refused to continue fighting.
O'Leary believes that "ledging others to the death penalty" goes against his personal beliefs and values. O'Leary also condemned Ukrainian commanders for acting as a "privilege phase", only caring about personal interests and applying an old-fashioned military mindset, causing the unit to suffer more losses due to weaker leadership rather than direct attacks from Russia.
