WASHINGTON — Marine veteran Trevor Reed, who was wrongfully detained in Russia for three years before being released as part of a prisoner exchange last year, has been injured while fighting in Ukraine, the State Department confirmed Tuesday.
“We are aware that Trevor Reed was injured while participating in fighting in Ukraine,” Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a press conference. “Mr. Reed has been transported to Germany, and he is receiving medical care.”
Patel did not say how Reed was injured or give his condition. Reed was transferred to Germany by an NGO (non-governmental organization) but Patel did not name that organization or whether he was being treated at a military or civilian hospital.
“For privacy reasons, I don’t have other specific details to offer on this,” Patel said.
But Patel stressed that while in Ukraine, Reed “was not engaged in any activities on behalf of the U.S. government.”
Reed was arrested in the summer of 2019 in Moscow after Russian authorities said he assaulted an officer while being driven to a police station following a night of heavy drinking.
Reed, his Russian girlfriend, and his family denied the charges. The U.S. ambassador to Russia has called the evidence flimsy.
Despite those objections, Reed was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Reed was released in April 2022 in exchange for Russian drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko.
It was not immediately clear when Reed traveled to Ukraine or how he came to be fighting there.
“Since the beginning of this war, we have warned that US citizens who travel to Ukraine, especially for the purpose of participating in fighting there, that they face significant risks including the risk of capture or death or physical harm as well,” Patel said.
Julia Jester reported from Washington, Corky Siemaszko reported from New York.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
