ロシアと「囚人交換」で釈放の元米海兵隊員、ウクライナで負傷

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】ウクライナでロシアとの戦闘に義勇兵として参加していた元米海兵隊員が負傷し、治療のためドイツに移送された。米国務省が２５日、明らかにした。元隊員はロシアで暴行罪で収監されていたが、「囚人交換」で釈放され帰国後、ウクライナ入りしていた。（写真は元米海兵隊員のトレバー・リード氏。ロシア・モスクワの裁判所で。〈資料写真〉）
　国務省のベイダント・パテル副報道官は、元隊員はトレバー・リード氏と説明。自らの意思でウクライナに赴いたとし、「米政府の任務には就いていなかった」と強調した。
　負傷した後、ＮＧＯの支援でドイツに移送され、治療を受けているという。
　トンガ訪問中のアントニー・ブリンケン国務長官は記者会見で、米国市民に対し、ウクライナに渡航したり、戦闘に参加したりしないよう改めて呼び掛けた。
　リード氏はテキサス大学の学生だった２０１９年、恋人のロシア人と同国を旅行中、警官に暴行を働いた容疑で拘束された後、禁錮９年の実刑判決を言い渡され服役していた。昨年４月、麻薬密輸の罪で米国内で収監されていたロシア人との「囚人交換」で釈放され、いったん帰国していた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/07/26-16:41）

A former US Marine who spent more than two years in a Russian prison was injured fighting in Ukraine, the State Department confirmed Tuesday.
Trevor Reed, who was released by Moscow in an April 2022 prisoner swap, has been sent to Germany for the treatment of unspecified injuries incurred while fighting for Ukraine, said Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman.
Patel stressed that Reed was not engaged in any activities on behalf of the US government, but had traveled to Ukraine to join the fight on his own.
He said Reed was transported to Germany with the help of a private, non-governmental organization and is currently receiving medical care.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had no further information on Reed's condition or status but he warned American citizens against heading to Ukraine.
It underscores why we continue to call on Americans not to travel to Ukraine and not to fight there, he told a news conference during a visit to Tonga.
Blinken said he did not expect Reed's case to have an impact on US efforts to bring home two Americans held in Russia -- Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
My expectation is that even as we are dealing with all sorts of other challenges in our relationship with Russia, we will and we are determined to continue to work to bring both Evan and Paul home, he said.
Reed was a Texas university student in 2019 when he traveled to Russia with his Russian girlfriend.
He was arrested for assault on law enforcement officers after getting drunk, and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
In April last year Russia released him after the White House negotiated an exchange for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot and alleged drug smuggler who was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an American court.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US government has been extraordinarily, extraordinarily explicit in warning citizens not to travel to Ukraine, let alone participate in fighting.
She said she could not provide an estimate of how many Americans might be volunteering on the side of Ukraine against Russian forces.
Asked if the Reed episode could complicate US efforts to procure the release of other Americans imprisoned -- unjustly, according to Washington -- in Russia, Jean-Pierre said the cases were separate. They're not the same.