The State Department confirmed Tuesday that Reed was injured while fighting in Ukraine, though the circumstances of the incident are not clear.
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters they were “aware” that Reed was “transported to Germany,” where he is being treated.
But Patel stressed the former Marine was not in Ukraine on behalf of Washington.
“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,” he said at the briefing.
The Associated Press confirmed that Reed was injured several weeks ago, though it’s unclear how he was injured.
Background:
- Before his release in April 2022, Reed was detained by Russian authorities for nearly three years.
- Russia had sentenced Reed to nine years in prison. He was accused of assaulting an officer while being driven to a police station following a night of drinking.
-
The Biden administration, which described Reed was wrongfully detained, negotiated his release with Moscow. In the prisoner exchange last year, Reed was swapped for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko.
The U.S. is still trying to secure the release of other Americans that Washington considers wrongfully detained, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and another former Marine, Paul Whelan.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
