The US State Department confirmed on Tuesday (July 25) former US Marine Trevor Reed was injured while fighting in Ukraine against the said country's Russian invaders.
Reed made headlines in 2019 after he was arrested in Moscow for intoxication and was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2020. He was released by Russia in a prisoner swap with Ukraine in April 2022 in exchange for Russian drug smuggler Konstantin Taroshenko, The Messenger reported.
"We are aware that Trevor Reed was injured while participating in fighting in Ukraine," State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters. "We are aware through the support of an NGO that Mr. Reed has been transported to Germany and he is receiving medical care."
Patel added Reed was "not engaged" in any activities on behalf of Washington, as they are "not in a place to provide assistance to evacuate private U.S. citizens from Ukraine."
Little was known about Reed's injury or how he got it, but a report by the Associated Press detailed the injury occurred several weeks ago.
State Department to Americans: Do Not Travel to Ukraine, Fight with Ukrainians
The State Department has repeatedly warned US citizens not to travel to Ukraine nor participate in the fighting, no matter how high their moral benefits are.
"Since the beginning of this war, we have warned that U.S. citizens who travel to Ukraine, especially with the purpose of participating in fighting there, that they face significant risks including the risk of capture or death or physical harm," Patel stressed.
The former Marine is the latest American to be injured while fighting alongside the Ukrainians. There were several others who have been confirmed killed in action since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022.
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