Texas Man 'On Front Lines' Supporting Russian Troops In Ukraine

Austin TX

01 March, 2022

3:56 PM

Description

A video posted to social media shows a Texas man "on the front lines" with Russian troops, praising them as liberators as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine that began last week. Russell Bentley, the self-proclaimed "Donbas Cowboy," can be seen in the video in front of Russian troops and tanks before they move toward the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. In the video, Bentley claims the invading troops are the "de-Nazifyers and liberators of Ukraine." Russian President Vladimir Putin claims of "denazification" have been widely dismissed as a self-serving manipulation of history, and most of the world has largely condemned the Kremlin's act of aggression. "These guys are tough. These guys are ready, and there's plenty of them," Bentley said of the Russian troops. Bentley claims in the video that Russia has used "10 percent of its military power" in the invasion and is ready to "bring the hammer." Bentley previously lived in Round Rock, Texas, just outside Austin, and worked as an arborist before moving to the Donbas region in 2014, according to a 2018 article by Texas Monthly. He arrived in Donetsk, Ukraine, in December and soon joined up with the Vostok Battalion, a pro-Russia militia. He also at one point was a drug trafficker on the run from U.S. Marshals, according to the Texas Monthly report. Bentley has been embedded with the militia since and often posted videos to his YouTube channel chronicling his exploits in the region. Putin justified the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 by saying it was an attempt to "de-Nazify" the country. The United States and United Nations have largely panned that excuse. And many countries, including the U.S., have placed sanctions on Russia in response to the invasion.