At least 20 American citizens who volunteered to fight in Ukraine are currently missing in action, with foreign fighter casualties sharply increasing over the past six months, according to a CNN investigation published Thursday.
The remains of at least five American volunteers who died fighting alongside Ukrainian forces have not been recovered from the front lines, where relentless battles make retrieval efforts nearly impossible. After months of complex negotiations, the bodies of two Americans were recently returned from Russian-controlled areas to Ukrainian soil.
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The accounts of surviving comrades and grieving families highlight the often-overlooked role of American fighters in Ukraine’s war against Russia – a conflict US President Donald Trump has dismissed as “ridiculous,” even as he urges Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek a diplomatic resolution.
For the families of the missing, the anguish goes beyond the battlefield. They face the pain of not being able to properly mourn or bury their loved ones, legal uncertainties about their status, and the added cruelty of online harassment from Russian trolls.
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With fierce fighting concentrated along Ukraine’s eastern front, many fallen soldiers remain stranded in contested territory, leaving families without closure or answers.
The overall number of killed foreign fighters in Ukraine is unclear, but experts estimate that hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers have died. Dozens of Americans have been confirmed killed or missing in action.
‘Redneck’ (call-sign), an American volunteer fighter in Ukraine, shared a harrowing account of the harsh realities faced by soldiers on the front lines to CNN. He described chaotic battles where intense Russian shelling and drone attacks made it nearly impossible to recover the bodies of fallen comrades.
In one instance, Redneck recounted how he and his unit were forced to leave behind the bodies of American fighters after repeated attempts to retrieve them resulted in more casualties, including his close friend ‘Gunther’ (call-sign).
“Russian drones start coming down the treeline, to try to crash through the roof of the bunker,” he told CNN last week from the United States. “I had the shotgun, I was trying to shoot these things down.”
He said he asked his commanders to abort the mission, but they told him it was impossible and to hold the line. He then hid from incoming drones in a nearby bunker, where he received devastating news.
Another soldier named ‘Ford’ yelled, ‘Gunther is dead,’” Redneck told CNN. “I came down to check, and the Ukrainian that was in there just looked at me and said, ‘friend dead.’”
Without more reinforcements expected to arrive before incoming Russian forces, the men became desperate.
“He knew we weren’t going to make it through another attack,” said Redneck of Ford, “so he started asking me to kill him so he wouldn’t be captured.” Redneck said he refused and told Ford they would make it.
“He went really quiet,” said Redneck of Ford. “A couple minutes later, (he) called me over and said he had loosened his tourniquets.” Redneck said he tried to reapply them, but it was too late.
Redneck had to leave the bodies of Ford and Gunther behind when he evacuated. Their bodies were still visible on the ground in drone footage he saw later – after the territory had been taken by Russian forces.
The many losses have made Redneck angry at people who don’t understand the scope of the war in Ukraine. “At this point, you cannot say it’s not America’s fight,” Redneck said. Critics of the war are “trying to say, ‘well, this is Ukraine’s problem. If we can just make peace now, we won’t have to deal with this.’ The truth is, it’s not going to stop,” he added.
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