NYT Report Alleges American-Led Unit Committed War Crimes in Ukraine

A new investigative report from The New York Times (Lean Left bias) alleges that the American-led mercenary unit Chosen Company has executed several surrendering Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

The Details: The report is based largely on the accounts of Caspar Grosse, a German medic, as well as video footage and chat transcripts. The Times also spoke to American Ryan O'Leary, the de facto commander of the unit, and Benjamin Reed, another American soldier who parted ways with the group in November. O'Leary defended some of his unit's actions, while Reed said his time with Chosen Company was largely marked by disagreements about battlefield wrongdoings.

The Premise: The Times noted that "it is highly unusual for a soldier to speak publicly about battlefield conduct, particularly involving men whom he still considers friends," but that Grosse "said he was too troubled to keep silent."

How The Media Covered It: As of Sunday morning, AllSides did not find any other notable Western media that covered the story. Russian state media outlets like TASS (Not Rated by AllSides) and RT (Lean Right bias) covered how the Russian government reacted to the Times' report.

Russian Reaction: Per TASS, Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused U.S. mainstream media of turning a blind eye to Ukrainian abuses in Donbas for seven years and "pretending that this is something new." RT highlighted that Russia's Investigative Committee said on Saturday it would investigate the claims made in the Times' report.