The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia has called on Stephanie Holmes, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, to discuss the alleged participation of an American private military company in the recent fighting in Kursk Oblast. The Russian authorities expressed their protest to Holmes, emphasizing their disapproval of what they referred to as "provocative actions of American reporters who illegally infiltrated Kursk Oblast for propagandist reporting of crimes of Kyiv's regime," according to a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The statement further disclosed Russia's concern regarding the purported evidence pointing to the involvement of an American PMC on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during their alleged invasion of Russian territory. In response to these claims, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that they are currently preparing legal actions to hold "the American citizens involved in these crimes" accountable.

Russian media outlets have been actively circulating reports since 20 August, referring to a four-day-old Instagram post by the Forward Observation Group, an American company, which allegedly confirms their presence in Kursk Oblast. These reports are seen by Russian propagandists as contradictory to the previous statements made by the US, denying any involvement in the planning and execution of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operations.

The background to these latest developments includes American Democratic Senator Mark Kelly's statement, where he highlighted that Ukraine's decision to launch the operation in Kursk Oblast could potentially alter the course of the war initiated by Russia.

The summoning of the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow signals the growing tensions between Russia and the United States in relation to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The alleged presence of an American private military company in Kursk Oblast raises further concerns about the extent of foreign involvement in the region's conflict and the potential ramifications for the already strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.