The US Department of Defense did not say where exactly Daniel W. Swift died. But he has been listed as a deserter in official records since March 2019. “We cannot speculate as to why the former sailor ended up in Ukraine,” said a US Navy representative.
“We are in contact with his family and are providing all possible consular assistance. Out of respect for the family’s private life, we have nothing to add at this difficult time,” said a representative of the department.
According to Time magazine, the sailor from the state of Oregon was awarded for his participation in missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The US government is discouraging citizens from joining the fighting in Ukraine, fearing that they could be captured and held hostage by Russian forces.
The AP agency wrote that in the first days of the Russian invasion, at least 6,000 people contacted the Ukrainian embassy in Washington asking for information on how to become a volunteer fighting on the side of Ukraine. Half of the potential volunteers were rejected due to lack of military experience, criminal records or unfitness for service, a Ukrainian military attaché said last year.
An unknown number of Americans have joined the ranks of foreign fighters supporting Kyiv. Others work for humanitarian and human rights organizations.
Putin ordered to conquer Donbass by March
The war in Ukraine
