Letter to Forbes: You lied about the 501 Separate Naval Infantry Battalion and owe a retraction
To the Editors of Forbes Magazine,
In August 2024, Forbes published an article by staff reporter David Axe titled “A Notorious Marine Battalion Has Joined Ukraine’s Invasion of Russia.” This piece contains multiple defamatory claims that misrepresent the conduct and character of Ukrainian defenders—specifically members of the 501st Marine Battalion—many of whom remain in Russian captivity. Rather than provide informed analysis, the article echoes unverified Russian state media narratives without critical context, thereby amplifying propaganda and inflicting real harm on the reputations of those who cannot speak for themselves.
Among the most egregious assertions:
“The 501st Marine Battalion was not among the final holdouts. Instead, it gave up six weeks earlier during the first week of April. Without coordinating with adjacent forces, around 270 marines abandoned their positions and their weapons and marched into Russian captivity.”
“‘We want to avoid victims and bloodshed,’ 501st Marine Battalion senior lieutenant Kostiantyn Bezsmertnyi told Russian state media following the mass surrender. ‘I’m tired of seeing people die.’”
These statements are presented without attribution to credible sources or verification, and they rely on quotes from Russian state media, without any disclaimer, qualification, or acknowledgement of that media’s well-documented history of distortion. The article fails to cite any Ukrainian sources, including soldiers, family members, or military officials, and provides no evidence of direct interviews with individuals involved. Further, your writer was aware of the accusations against Bezsmertnyi and he made one paragraph statement verifying he knew but did not use that knowledge to prevent the first false accusation that “abandoned their positions and their weapons and marched into Russian captivity”, a demonstrable lie.
As someone who has lived in Ukraine for three years and works directly with the families of captured soldiers—including those from the 501st—I can state unequivocally that this article is factually incorrect and ethically irresponsible. Many of these defenders have since returned through prisoner exchanges, and their firsthand accounts contradict the narrative your article promotes. The claim that the battalion collectively and willingly surrendered is not supported by the available evidence, nor by testimonies of those involved. The Ukrainian government began investigating the actions of certain commanders, including Bezsmertnyi, in May 2023, over a year before your article was published, and yet the piece omits this critical timeline—further misleading the reader.
I must ask plainly: where in professional journalism training is it acceptable to repeat enemy state propaganda without clear labeling or analysis? This failure of basic editorial judgment has had measurable consequences—undermining the public perception of these soldiers and impacting the support and solidarity extended to their families.
You owe these defenders and their families a formal retraction and apology. The wise and ethical course of action would be to retract the article, issue a public correction, and conduct an internal review of how such claims passed editorial scrutiny. Your platform reaches millions; the responsibility to report with accuracy and integrity must match that reach.
Sincerely,
Chris Sampson,
NATSECMEDIA,
Editor in Chief
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