A former US Marine who was imprisoned by Russia for more than two years apparently tried to exact some revenge: The Messenger reports that Trevor Reed, who was freed last year in a prisoner swap, was injured in Ukraine while fighting on behalf of that nation. Reed stepped on a landmine about two weeks ago, according to the report. He has since been sent to a hospital in Germany, reports CNN. "We're aware that Trevor Reed was injured while participating in fighting in Ukraine," a Biden administration official tells the Messenger. However, the US doesn't exactly sound thrilled with Reed's choices.
"Since the beginning of the war, we have warned that US citizens who travel to Ukraine, especially with the purpose of participating in fighting there, that they face significant risks, including the very real risk of capture or death," said the official, who stressed that Reed made the decision to go to Ukraine on his own. It's not clear when he left, but the 30-year-old Reed had spoken to KXXV in Texas in early May, saying he was happy to be safe at home one year after his release.
The Messenger adds another wrinkle to the story: It reports that Reed wanted to be sent back to the US after being injured, but his military contract with Ukraine prevented that from happening. At that point, he threatened to go to the media to make his story public and try to get the US to help him return home. Reed had been arrested in Russia in 2019 after a night out drinking, when Russian police accused him of assaulting them. The extent of his new battlefield injuries aren't known. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
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