The U.S. State Department has confirmed the death of another U.S. citizen in Ukraine, marking at least the seventh American killed in the country in the six months since Russia declared war.
A spokesman confirmed the death Weekly newspaper But said they had “no further comment” at this time “out of respect for the family’s privacy”.
While the agency has not released the identity or circumstances of the American’s death, Russian officials posted on the social media platform Telegram a photo they claimed was the man’s passport.
Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of Russia’s Far East Primorsky Krai, said he was a 24-year-old man from Tennessee who traveled to Ukraine in July and joined the Ukrainian army as a volunteer soldier .
independent The State Department has been contacted to confirm.
The U.S. national was killed in fighting in the Kharkiv region on Tuesday, an official from the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said on Saturday.
DPR’s ombudsman Darya Morozova – which declares herself a Russian-backed independent region but is considered part of Ukraine – said on Telegram that officials had notified US officials and the death of Matilda Bogner, a volunteer fighter from the UN monitoring mission in Ukraine.
Ms Morozova said he had been transferred to a mortuary in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and officials were preparing to hand the body over to relatives, Russian state media TASS reported.
“I want to reiterate that mercenaries are not considered combatants and international humanitarian law is invalid in their cases. These people are deprived of any immunity in combat,” she said.
“I strongly advise any foreigners who come to Ukraine for military purposes to leave the country’s territory immediately.
“Otherwise, no one will be held responsible for their lives and safety.”
At least six other U.S. citizens have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
The aftermath of Friday’s shelling in the small town of Dhač near Kharkov
(EPA)
The families of Luke Lucyszyn and Bryan Young confirmed in July that they were both killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine.
This comes after Stephen Zabirski was killed in May and Marine Corps veteran Willie Cansell was killed in April.
The latest U.S. death on Ukrainian soil comes the same week that a U.S. diplomat working at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv was killed in a bicycle accident in Maryland.
On Thursday, Sarah Joan Langenkamp, a 42-year-old State Department employee who served as ambassador to the Ukrainian capital, was hit by a flatbed truck while cycling in the Ukrainian capital, Bethseda. Head of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Section of the Pavilion.
Police said she was run over by a truck and pronounced dead at the scene.
State Department spokeswoman Ned Price confirmed her death on Twitter.
“Our hearts are broken following the tragic and sudden passing of our colleague Sarah Langenkamp. Our hearts go out to her family – including her husband, a beloved colleague and their children – — and all her friends and relatives,” he tweeted.
