Trevor Reed, freed from Russia, wounded fighting in Ukraine

Former US Marine Trevor Reed, who was released from Russia in a prisoner swap just 15 months ago, has been injured fighting in Ukraine, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Reed was wounded several weeks ago, according to a person familiar with the situation speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The ex-Marine was initially transported to a hospital in Kyiv and was later taken to Germany by a non-governmental organization for further treatment, said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.

There was no immediate word on the extent of Reed’s battlefield injuries, or where he received them.

The Pentagon stressed that Reed acted as a private citizen when he apparently traveled to Ukraine to join the fight against Russia.

“I want to be explicitly clear about something. Mr. Reed was not engaged in any activities on behalf of the US government,” Patel said in a statement. “And as I indicated, we have been incredibly clear warning American citizens, American nationals, not to travel to Ukraine, let alone participate in fighting.”

The spokesperson reminded that the US government is “not in a place to provide assistance to evacuate private US citizens from Ukraine, including those Americans who may decide to travel to Ukraine to participate in fighting.”

Reed was arrested in Russia in the summer of 2019 after local authorities said he assaulted a cop while being arrested for public intoxication.

He was later sentenced to nine years in prison for risking the officer’s “life and health.”

The US government designated Reed as unjustly detained, calling his trial a “theater of the absurd,” and pressed for his release while his family has proclaimed his innocence.

Relatives aired their concerns about Reed’s deteriorating health after he said he was coughing up blood while in lockup and staged a hunger strike.

In April 2022, Reed was exchanged for a Russian pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, who had been serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the US.

With Post wires