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A new Russian propaganda video has been released featuring a former US airman and city council member currently wanted in the US on child pornography charges.

Let’s bring you up to speed: According to US authorities, Wilmer Puello-Mota, a former technical sergeant in the Massachusetts National Guard and city council member from Holyoke, Massachusetts, is wanted on multiple charges, including possession of child pornography, forgery, and obstruction of justice. These charges stem from a 2020 incident involving explicit images of a minor found on his phone and attempts to interfere with the investigation. After fleeing the US in January 2023, Puello-Mota resurfaced in Russia, claiming to have joined the Russian military.

What he said in the video: In a recently released propaganda video by the Russian Defense Ministry, Wilmer Puello-Mota appears in Russian military gear, including camouflage, a combat helmet, and a plate carrier. Introducing himself as “Will from Massachusetts,” he speaks in English with Russian subtitles, discussing his background in the US Air Force and his role as a city councilor in Massachusetts. He claims that his involvement in international politics led him to Russia, where he joined the Russian military as a drone operator. Throughout the video, Puello-Mota defends his actions, stating they were motivated by personal beliefs instead of betrayal of the United States. He ends the clip with the phrase “victory will be ours” in Russian. The video notably omits any mention of the criminal charges he faces in the US, instead portraying him as an “American with Russian citizenship.”

Not his first video: This isn’t Wilmer Puello-Mota’s first appearance in a Russian propaganda video. In April 2023, footage surfaced of him signing documents at a Russian military enlistment office in Siberia, using the call sign “Vil.” In an interview with the Moscow-based newspaper Argumenty i Fakty, Puello-Mota claimed to have fought in the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka in a unit made up of international volunteers.

US government not saying much:  Back in April, when reports surfaced that Puello-Mota was in Russia, the Rhode Island Prosecutor’s Office was approached by multiple news outlets for comment. In a brief statement, they said, “While the state cannot verify the authenticity of the videos and photographs, if they are accurate, the defendant is well beyond the jurisdiction of this court. If false, the defendant is engaged in an elaborate ruse to conceal his whereabouts.”