As of recent reports coming from the State Department, two Americans have died while fighting for Ukraine against the Russian invaders in the eastern region of Donbas.
A spokesman for the State Department official confirmed the pair of deaths and stated that the administration is giving “all possible consular assistance,” stated a report sent out from Reuters.
The official causes of death were not stated to the public.
“Out of respect to the families during this difficult time, we have nothing further,” explained the spokesperson.
One of the two that was killed was reportedly named Luke Lucyszyn, which was confirmed by his mother to ABC News.
These two deaths add to the list of at least three other Americans who have died fighting in Ukraine since the initial inception of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the area. The previous deaths include Jim Hill, who died in the capital of Kyiv in March; former U.S. Marine Willy Joseph Cancel, 22, killed in April; and Stephen Zabielski, 52, who died in May.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has spanned almost five months since its start back on the 24th of February. Recent attacks have been targeting the more eastern areas of Odesa, in the region of Kirovohradska, the Kherson region, and Donbas.
Defense officials for Russia issued their own announcement this past Sunday that it had carried out a successful strike on Ukraine’s port of Odesa less than a day in the wake of the two nations had signed an agreement to resume the shipments of foodstuffs such as grain.
This grain agreement, which was signed at a summit in Istanbul, Turkey, is meant to let both countries move grain and other fertilizers despite the ongoing military conflict.
“The grain export agreement, critically important for global food security, will be signed in Istanbul tomorrow under the auspices of President Erdoğan and UN Secretary General Mr. Guterres together with Ukranian (sic) and Russian delegations,” explained a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ibrahim Kalin, via social media.
The grain export agreement, critically important for global food security, will be signed in Istanbul tomorrow under the auspices of President Erdoğan and UN Secretary General Mr. Guterres together with Ukranian and Russian delegations.
— İbrahim Kalın (@ikalin1) July 21, 2022
This agreement about grain was meant to set in place international guarantees that Russia’s military forces would not carry out attacks against any Ukrainian ships transporting grain or fertilizer in the Black Sea. In the same vein, Russia has called out Ukraine for allegedly setting up sea mines throughout ports as a means to block Vladimir Putin’s nation from getting safe shipments of grain.
In the wake of Russia’s invasion, the U.S. has stepped forward to play a pivotal role by offering various forms of financial assistance to Ukraine. This past Friday, an announcement went out from the Defense Department that it would send another round of financial support for $270 million to assist with the stability of the war-ravaged country.
Overall, the Biden administration has sent out well over $8.2 billion in various forms of aid to Ukraine since the inauguration of President Joe Biden. A total of $7.3 billion has been handed out since Russia started its invasion in February.
” Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced $270 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine,” explained the Defense Department via a Friday press release. “This includes President Biden’s announcement of a Presidential Drawdown of security assistance valued at up to $175 million, as well as $95 million in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds.”