Politico: 2 American, Canadian, Swedish mercenaries killed in Ukraine

According to Politico, two Americans, a Canadian and a Swedish citizen who fought in Donbass with Ukrainian forces were killed this week.

Ruslan Miroshnichenko, the commander of the foreign fighters, was cited as saying: "The Americans killed were Luke "Skywalker" Lucyszyn and Bryan Young. He said they were killed alongside Emile-Antoine Roy-Sirois of Canada and Edvard Selander Patrignani of Sweden on July 18."

"The men were part of a special operations force within the Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Miroshnichenko said. Their unit has been based near Siversk, a town in eastern Donetsk oblast," the newspaper said.

On Friday, a US State Department spokesman confirmed to reporters that two Americans had recently died in Donbass. However, the department did not release their names.

The US authorities have repeatedly urged Americans to refrain from fighting in Ukraine, including from traveling there to participate in hostilities.

Up to 100 US citizens have qualified for participation in military activities in Ukraine, including Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

Since the beginning of the Russian special military operation, the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington has received about 6,000 inquiries on voluntary services, launching an examination of the potential US recruits.

Late in February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the formation of an "international legion," which would reinforce the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian forces. Later, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed that the entry of these militants into Ukraine "will be simplified to the maximum extent possible."