Verification within Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking Program

Kremlin media are spreading a statement allegedly made by Finnish military journalist Kosti Heiskanen. In an interview with a Russian outlet, he claimed that Ukraine is supposedly recruiting Finns with criminal records, mental disorders, and fascist views to fight in the war.

These claims are baseless. In reality, Kosti Heiskanen is a Russian who is part of the Kremlin’s propaganda machine and systematically spreads disinformation. Furthermore, foreigners join the Defense Forces voluntarily under contract and are treated as members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They are not “mercenaries”.

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In fact, Kosti Heiskanen is not a Finnish military journalist and has a completely different name. In June 2024, analysts from The Insider revealed that Kosti Heiskanen is actually Russian citizen Konstantin Lebedev, born in Saint Petersburg in April 1978. According to The Insider, his ancestors did indeed move to Finland in the 1930s. However, Lebedev himself lived in Russia, was registered there, and held a Russian passport. In 2012, under the name Kosti Mikael Heiskanen, he moved to Germany, where he founded a travel company.

After the full-scale invasion, Kosti Heiskanen — that is, Konstantin Lebedev — became a mouthpiece for Kremlin propaganda. For example, he repeatedly visited the occupied Donetsk region, and afterward told Kremlin media about supposed “threats” and “atrocities of the Ukrainian army”. According to Lebedev, Finland sent “mercenaries” to the war in Ukraine under the guise of volunteer medics, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly “killed civilians in Russia”. At the same time, Lebedev described how “well” people live under occupation in the Kherson region and received an award from the Russian federal agency Rossotrudnichestvo.

His claim about the “recruitment” of Finns with criminal backgrounds, mental disorders, and fascist views for the war is also part of Kremlin propaganda. He provides no evidence to support his statements. We also did not find any such stories in reliable media sources. Neither the official Ukrainian side nor the Finnish side has reported any such cases.

On February 3, 2025, Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs updated its guidance on the participation of its citizens in the war in Ukraine. The agency notes that Finns may join the Ukrainian military, but only as volunteers. Accordingly, after enlisting, they fall under Ukrainian law and international law. In Ukraine, all foreigners or stateless persons are accepted into the Defense Forces under contract. They are then treated as members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and are not considered “mercenaries”.

In addition, it is worth noting that Russians often accuse Ukraine of things they themselves are doing. For example, propagandists conceal the fact that Russia recruits mercenaries from Cuba, Syria, India, and other countries.