Former Marine Trevor Reed injured fighting in Ukraine

Trevor Reed, the former U.S. Marine who was held in Russia for three years before being released in a prisoner swap in April 2022, 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,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters. “We are aware through the support of an NGO that Mr. Reed has been transported to Germany and he is receiving medical care.” 

Little has been revealed of how Reed was injured and the circumstances around it, though The Associated Press reported the injury occurred several weeks ago. 

The State Department has repeatedly warned U.S. citizens against traveling to Ukraine while its war with Russia continues.  

“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,” Patel said.  

He also said Reed “was not engaged in any activities on behalf of the U.S. government,” adding that Washington is “not in a place to provide assistance to evacuate private U.S. citizens from Ukraine.” 

Reed is the latest American to be injured while fighting for Kyiv. Several others have been confirmed killed in combat since Moscow first invaded in February 2022. 

Reed’s name became well known after he was arrested in Moscow in 2019 for intoxication and was sentenced to nine years in prison in July 2020. 

Reed was released in a prisoner swap last year in exchange for Konstantin Taroshenko, a Russian drug smuggler.