Latest news with #SarahAshtonCirillo
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
U.S. trans mercenary who fought for Ukraine handed 20-year jail term for 'spreading fake news'
Russia has sentenced a U.S. trans woman who fought for Ukraine to 20 years in prison. Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, 47, was found guilty Tuesday of being a mercenary for Kyiv 's forces and spreading fake news about Russia's forces. The former journalist had been volunteering as a medic for Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) and briefly served as its spokesperson. She was found guilty by the Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic in occupied Ukraine. Ashton-Cirillo traveled to Ukraine shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 to cover the conflict as a war correspondent for the U.S. publication LGBTQ Nation. Within a matter of months, she resigned her post and volunteered to join the Ukrainian army, fighting as part of Kharkiv's 113th Territorial Defense Brigade, and was made a junior sergeant. In 2023 she withdrew from the frontline, having suffered injuries amid a Russian artillery attack on her unit's position, and was appointed as an English-language spokesperson for the TDF. In this role, she launched a YouTube show entitled Russia Hates The Truth which she reviewed and debunked Moscow's disinformation campaigns, catching the eye of Russian media controllers. Russian authorities added Ashton-Cirillo to a 'register of extremists and terrorists' and opened a criminal case against her in 2024, months after she said Russian journalists affiliated with state media would be 'hunted down.' She was sentenced in absentia by the court in Donetsk, meaning that she would be liable to face the full jail term if captured by Russian forces. Ashton-Cirillo courted controversy in August 2023 after her work with the Ukrainian TDF was brought to the attention of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who at the time was a Republican senator. Vance penned a letter to then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines in which he accused the junior sergeant of threatening 'physical violence to anyone who circulates Russian propaganda' during a video message she had made while in post. He also wanted to know whether Ashton-Cirillo was being 'compensated using American resources' and questioned whether U.S. officials had 'reason to believe Ukrainian forces or intelligence services are planning to commit acts of violence against those who engage in "Russian propaganda." ' But Ashton-Cirillo went on to release a follow-up video amid Vance's speculation in which she told viewers that 'Russian devils' would 'pay for their crimes,' with Ukrainian TDF branding in the background. The release of the clip coincided with a visit to Washington by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and was not approved by the Ukrainian TDF, leading to her suspension. Speaking to in 2023, Ashton-Cirillo admitted she had not sought approval from her superiors before posting her response to Vance. 'Russia Hates The Truth doesn't require anything to be vetted - I and the TDF team have editorial control over that. 'It's meant to be as over the top as possible. 'It was my response to Senator Vance in uniform in front of the TDF logo without approval which was the reason for my suspension. 'I told my team that I was going to do it, but given that it was something as sensitive as a response to a U.S. Senator in a public setting, it needed to be approved. 'I couldn't believe it that there was a U.S. Senator trying to unmask me. 'It wasn't my message to him that was a problem, it was that President Zelensky was on a trip to the U.S. at the time and I probably should have held back in responding.' She was later cleared of wrongdoing and reinstated, but quickly moved into another unspecified role in Ukraine's Armed Forces. Ashton-Cirillo remains in Ukraine as of May 2025 and is engaged in promoting fundraising and crowdfunding campaigns to help Ukrainian soldiers wounded on the frontlines. The Russian-controlled court took umbrage with Ashton-Cirillo's vow to 'hunt down' Russian state-affiliated journalists and allegations that Russian forces had used biological weapons in operations in Ukraine and Syria. A court statement on the ruling against Ashton-Cirillo was published yesterday. It reads: 'The Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic has issued a verdict in absentia in the criminal case against 47-year-old U.S. citizen Sarah Ashton-Cirillo. 'She was found guilty under paragraph 'd' of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation), Part 3 of Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict). 'The court established that... the mercenary arrived in Ukraine, voluntarily joined the International Legion, and was then assigned to the 113th Territorial Defense Brigade of Ukraine. 'She underwent military training at training bases and was provided with firearms, ammunition, uniforms, and special equipment. Ashton-Cirillo took part in combat operations on the side of the Ukrainian security forces against servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. 'In August 2023, she prepared a video story, which she posted on the Internet, about the alleged stockpiles of biological weapons created in Russia and the use of chemical weapons by the Russian Armed Forces in the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as on the territory of Ukraine during a special military operation. 'The mercenary has been placed on an international wanted list, and the court has chosen a preventive measure in the form of detention in absentia against her. 'Taking into account the position of the state prosecutor, the court sentenced Ashton-Cirillo in absentia to 20 years of imprisonment to be served in a general regime penal colony.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Transgender American who joined Ukrainian army and said Kyiv should 'hunt down' Russian journalists is given 20-year jail term
An American trans woman who volunteered for Ukraine's Territorial Defence Forces (TDF) as a combat medic and briefly served as their spokesperson has been sentenced to a 20-year prison term by Russian authorities. Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, 47, was yesterday found guilty by the Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic in occupied Ukraine of being a mercenary for Kyiv 's forces and spreading fake news about the Russian military. A former journalist and author, US citizen Ashton-Cirillo travelled to Ukraine shortly after Russia 's full-scale invasion in February 2022 to cover the conflict as a war correspondent for the US publication LGBTQ Nation. Within a matter of months, she resigned her post and volunteered to join the Ukrainian army, fighting as part of Kharkiv 's 113th Territorial Defence Brigade, and was made a junior sergeant. In 2023 she withdrew from the frontline, having suffered injuries amid a Russian artillery attack on her unit's position, and was appointed as an English-language spokesperson for the TDF. In this role, she launched a YouTube show entitled 'Russia Hates the Truth' which she reviewed and debunked Moscow 's disinformation campaigns, catching the eye of Russian media controllers. Russian authorities added Ashton-Cirillo to a 'register of extremists and terrorists' and opened a criminal case against her in 2024, months after she said Russian journalists affiliated with state media would be 'hunted down'. She was sentenced yesterday in absentia by the court in Donetsk, meaning that she would be liable to face the full jail term if captured by Russian forces. Ashton-Cirillo courted controversy in August 2023 after her work with the Ukrainian TDF was brought to the attention of US Vice President JD Vance, who at the time was a Republican senator. Vance penned a letter to then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines in which he accused the junior sergeant of threatening 'physical violence to anyone who circulates Russian propaganda' during a video message she had made while in post. He also wanted to know whether Ashton-Cirillo was being 'compensated using American resources' and questioned whether US officials had 'reason to believe Ukrainian forces or intelligence services are planning to commit acts of violence against those who engage in 'Russian propaganda'.' But Ashton-Cirillo went on to release a follow-up video amid Vance's speculation in which she told viewers that 'Russian devils' would 'pay for their crimes', with Ukrainian TDF branding in the background. The release of the clip coincided with a visit to Washington by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and was not approved by the Ukrainian TDF, leading to her suspension. Speaking to in 2023, Ashton-Cirillo admitted she had not sought approval from her superiors before posting her response to Vance. 'Russia Hates The Truth doesn't require anything to be vetted - I and the TDF team have editorial control over that. It's meant to be as over the top as possible. 'It was my response to Senator Vance in uniform in front of the TDF logo without approval which was the reason for my suspension. 'I told my team that I was going to do it, but given that it was something as sensitive as a response to a US Senator in a public setting, it needed to be approved. 'I couldn't believe it that there was a US Senator trying to unmask me. It wasn't my message to him that was a problem, it was that President Zelensky was on a trip to the US at the time and I probably should have held back in responding.' She was later cleared of wrongdoing and reinstated, but quickly moved into another unspecified role in Ukraine's Armed Forces. Ashton-Cirillo remains in Ukraine as of May 2025 and is engaged in promoting fundraising and crowdfunding campaigns to help Ukrainian soldiers wounded on the frontlines. The Russian-controlled court took umbrage with Ashton-Cirillo's vow to 'hunt down' Russian state-affiliated journalists and allegations that Russian forces had used biological weapons in operations in Ukraine and Syria. A court statement on the ruling against Ashton-Cirillo was published yesterday. It reads: 'The Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic has issued a verdict in absentia in the criminal case against 47-year-old US citizen Sarah Ashton-Cirillo. 'She was found guilty under paragraph 'd' of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation), Part 3 of Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict). 'The court established that... the mercenary arrived in Ukraine, voluntarily joined the International Legion, and was then assigned to the 113th Territorial Defense Brigade of Ukraine. She underwent military training at training bases and was provided with firearms, ammunition, uniforms, and special equipment. Ashton-Cirillo took part in combat operations on the side of the Ukrainian security forces against servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. 'In August 2023, she prepared a video story, which she posted on the Internet, about the alleged stockpiles of biological weapons created in Russia and the use of chemical weapons by the Russian Armed Forces in the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as on the territory of Ukraine during a special military operation. 'The mercenary has been placed on an international wanted list, and the court has chosen a preventive measure in the form of detention in absentia against her. 'Taking into account the position of the state prosecutor, the court sentenced Ashton-Cirillo in absentia to 20 years of imprisonment to be served in a general regime penal colony.'
Russia Today
4 days ago
- General
- Russia Today
US-born Ukrainian military trans spokesperson sentenced in Russia
An American transgender woman who was dismissed from the Ukrainian military after issuing death threats to journalists has been sentenced in absentia in Russia for acting as a mercenary. The Prosecutor General's Office in Moscow announced on Monday that Sarah Ashton-Cirillo was convicted by a court in the Donetsk People's Republic. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison for taking part in combat roles with the Ukrainian military and for making defamatory statements against the Russian military on behalf of Kiev in 2023. Ashton-Cirillo, who transitioned in 2019, gained public attention in 2021 after claiming to have infiltrated the far-right Proud Boys group by posing as a sympathizer. In 2023, she was appointed as an English-language spokesperson for Ukraine's territorial defense forces, producing anti-Russian videos in her new role. She was suspended in September of that year after declaring that 'Kremlin propagandists' would soon be 'hunted down.' Her comments sparked backlash in the US, prompting then-Senator J.D. Vance to contact the Department of State, the Pentagon, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and question whether Ashton-Cirillo was acting on behalf of the US government. 'I've seen claims this individual is an American, a former intelligence operative in the United States, and an employee of the Ukrainian government,' Vance, now the vice president under US President Donald Trump, wrote. 'Others have argued Ashton-Cirillo is pulling an elaborate prank. If so, kudos for the delivery of high quality humor.' Ashton-Cirillo referenced the controversy during the 2024 US presidential race, when she mentioned viral online rumors disparaging Vance and mockingly offered her sympathies. 'I support you during this time of confusion and during this time of really weird behavior,' she said. 'I have served a lot more at the line of contact here in Ukraine than you ever did in Iraq. And that's fine. Some of us are infantry. Some of us are press officers.' Trump's reelection campaign centered on criticism of the administration of former President Joe Biden. He blasted its policy of sending aid to Kiev and promoting transgender rights, including allowing trans women to compete in women's sports and mandating diversity-based hiring in government. Since returning to office, Trump has moved to reverse many of these policies.
