A US national has been rescued in an operation conducted jointly by Russian security forces and troops in southern Donbass, the Territorial Defense HQ of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said in a statement on Telegram on Sunday. The man helped Russia’s military efforts throughout the conflict with Ukraine, the statement added.
The DPR Territorial Defense HQ did not provide details of the operation, but said the military “extracted a valuable operative information source.” The individual “played a key role” in an operation that liberated the village of Bogoyavlenka near the Donbass town of Ugledar, which Kiev had turned into a major stronghold. The town was eventually captured by Russia earlier in October.
The military also published several photos of a man dressed in civilian clothing standing with a group of soldiers with assault rifles and protective gear and camouflage. The faces of the men in the photos are blurred. The man in civilian clothes is seen standing next to one of the soldiers.
The statement did not reveal the American’s real name, but said he had helped Russia for two years while living in Ukraine. He “provided valuable intelligence data that allowed [Russia] to launch high precision strikes against the enemy that minimize the damage to civilians and civilian infrastructure,” it added.
Now, his life is “out of danger,” the DPR Territorial Defense HQ said, adding that the Russian authorities are currently considering granting the American political asylum in Russia, as well as Russian citizenship.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin granted citizenship to more than a dozen foreign nationals, including a man dubbed by the Russian media “the first US political refugee.” John Anthony Robles arrived in Russia in 1996 and was granted refugee status. According to Robles himself, he was persecuted in the US because of his staunch opposition to “imperialism,” and for his sympathy towards communist ideology.
Russian forces have been steadily advancing in Donbass and other parts of the front line since the start of the year, capturing dozens of populated areas, including the strategic town of Avdeevka in February and Ugledar in October. Territory under Ukrainian control in Russia’s Kursk Region, where Kiev troops launched an incursion in early August, has also been shrinking in recent weeks.