A U.S. citizen has died fighting in Ukraine, the chief leader of Russian private military company Wagner claims in a new video.
Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is seen in a video in the city of Bakhmut after an apparent mortar attack. He inspects a body and what he says are U.S. identification documents.
According to The Hill, the Wagner group shared a photo of the dead man’s Pentagon ID, showing he’s a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier from Boise, Idaho.
“We will hand him over to the United States of America, we’ll put him in a coffin, cover him with the American flag with respect because he did not die in his bed as a grandpa but he died at war and most likely a worthy [death], right?” Prigozhin says in the video, according to CNN.
“He was shooting back; he died in the battle, so we will hand over his documents tomorrow morning and pack everything, right?”
The State Department said it is “seeking additional information” and has not confirmed the person’s identity.
“Our ability to verify reports of deaths of U.S. citizens in Ukraine is extremely limited,” a spokesperson said Tuesday. “We offer our condolences to the families of all whose lives have been lost as a result of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine.
“We reiterate our message that U.S. citizens should not travel to Ukraine due to the active armed conflict and the singling out of U.S. citizens in Ukraine by Russia’s security officials, and that U.S. citizens in Ukraine should depart immediately if it is safe to do so using any commercial or other privately available ground transportation options,” they added.
At least 12 Americans have died fighting in Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022, including a former Marine who was killed in Bakhmut earlier this month.
The Wagner video comes after leaked documents published on Discord allege that Prigozhin offered to give Russian troop positions to Ukraine’s federal intelligence agency in exchange for Ukraine withdrawing troops from Bakhmut.