Over 20 American volunteers have gone missing in the war in Ukraine. Additionally, there has been a significant increase in the number of foreign casualties who have come to defend Ukraine over the past six months.

This information comes from an investigation by CNN. It is known that in the last six months, the bodies of at least five American volunteers who joined the Ukrainian army could not be retrieved from the battlefield after they were killed in action. Recently, the remains of two of them were repatriated from Russian-occupied territory following lengthy negotiations.

The intensity of combat along the front lines in eastern Ukraine means that the bodies of fallen soldiers are often unable to be collected from the battlefield. The network reported on two American volunteers who died in one incident near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine at the end of September. Their bodies have yet to be found. 25-year-old former American soldier Zachary Ford and another American with no military experience, whose family requested to identify him only by the call sign "Hunter," were killed while attempting to blow up a bridge near the village of Novohrodivka in the Donetsk region.

An American with the call sign "Redneck," who managed to survive, recounted that a group of three American volunteers quickly fell into a trap of Russian fire in a trench about 500 meters from the bridge they were targeting. This was followed by a Russian assault, during which some Ukrainian soldiers also lost their lives.

He recalled that Ford was injured and had a tourniquet applied, but Zachary "knew we wouldn't survive another attack." When he asked "Redneck" to kill him, the latter refused, prompting Ford to loosen his tourniquet. Ford's last wish before dying was to see sunlight:

"I laid his head against the door so he could peek out, see the sun, and just held his hand. The last thing he said was, 'Never let them say I was killed by those bastards.'

He emphasized that Ford expressed feelings common among foreign fighters. In the losses of his brigade, "Redneck" blamed a "bad officer... who couldn’t see the difference between anyone. It was meat for the grinder, and he just sent everyone he could get his hands on."

The soldier is now in the U.S. He shared that his unit was evacuated from that area and later he saw drone footage of the bodies of Ford and "Hunter." The territory where they fought is now under Russian control.

"At this point, you can't say this isn't an American war. War critics are trying to say this is Ukraine's problem. If we can make peace now, we won't have to deal with this. The truth is, it won't stop," said "Redneck."

Repatriating the fallen Americans is a complex process. The Commissioner for Missing Persons at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Arthur Dobroserdov, confirmed that over 20 Americans are considered missing. He added that any remains for repatriation can only be issued once all are identified, as "they don't want families to bury part of a loved one only to later receive more remains."

The exact number of American volunteer casualties in Ukraine remains unknown. Lauren Guillaume, an American living in Kyiv and working with the non-profit RT Weatherman Foundation that helps foreigners locate relatives, believes that the increase in deaths and missing persons among foreigners is linked to their deployment in heavy frontline areas where their prior military experience is needed:

"We see foreign operators filling gaps in very complex, risky operations that yield significant results. Their lives and sacrifices are not in vain."

Deaths of Foreign Volunteers in the War in Ukraine

Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, citizens from various countries have come to defend Ukraine. Some have given the ultimate sacrifice – their own lives.

A few days ago, news emerged about the death of a 30-year-old volunteer from Austria, Richard S. It is presumed that the man was killed in an enemy drone attack.

Earlier reports also indicated that during service, 26-year-old military medic Jordan MacLachlan from Ardnarmurchan in the Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom, died.