No, several hundred NATO mercenaries were not killed in a Russian missile attack on the Yavoriv military base in Ukraine

By: Emilia Stankeviciute
June 5 2024

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Screenshot of the post. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

Context

On June 2, 2024, a post surfaced on X falsely claiming that Ukraine's Yavoriv military base was attacked by the Russian armed forces four days prior, resulting in the deaths of several hundred NATO mercenaries. The post had garnered over 100,500 views and 455 comments at the time of writing.

According to the post, "over 300 elite instructors from Europe, trained pilots and technicians of American aircraft, as well as high-ranking NATO officers have been destroyed."

Screenshot of the post. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

The claim was later reshared in several similar posts on Facebook, including this one, which currently has 30 likes.

The Yavoriv military base, also known as the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, is located in the Lviv region of Ukraine, approximately 15 miles from the Polish border.

Since 2015, this facility has been crucial in training Ukrainian forces and international military personnel, particularly through cooperation with NATO member countries.

In fact

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense confirmed to Logically Facts that the claim is false and has been spread mainly by pro-Russian propaganda channels.

On May 30, 2024, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine issued a statement saying that “Russian rockets did not enter the Lviv region on the night of May 28-29, and no air alert was issued in the Lviv region (except from 20:17 to 20:31 on May 28, but no launches were detected)."

“The rockets last entered the airspace of the Lviv region on the night of May 26, but they later disappeared from the radar,” the statement added.

There was a significant and well-documented attack on the Yavoriv training ground on March 13, 2022, when 30 Russian missiles struck the facility, causing extensive damage. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the strike resulted in the deaths of up to 180 foreign mercenaries and the destruction of a large consignment of foreign weapons.​

Screenshot of an image of the 2022 Russian attack on Ukraine's Yavoriv air base. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, Ukrainian officials disputed these figures. Initial reports from Ukrainian authorities stated that 35 people were killed and 134 injured. These figures were later adjusted to 61 dead and 160 injured, primarily among Ukrainian soldiers and foreign volunteers. No specific comment was made on whether any of those killed or injured were "mercenaries."

At the time, a NATO official confirmed to EuroNews that no NATO personnel were at the Yavoriv base during the Russian missile attack, as NATO forces had withdrawn from Ukraine before the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated. It’s unclear whether any NATO forces are at the base today.

The verdict

The claim that several hundred NATO mercenaries were killed in a Russian missile attack on the Yavoriv training ground in May 2024 is false. Ukraine denies that such an attack took place, and there is no other evidence from any other relevant parties to indicate that such an attack did occur.