US veteran killed in Ukraine, Russia's Wagner Group says

The Wagner Group, a private Russian mercenary company, said Tuesday that a U.S. veteran died in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which has seen fierce fighting over the past several months.

The Wagner Group said in a translated Telegram post that the American veteran was "liquidated" and his "body will be handed over to the Ukrainian side to be sent home." The post also included a video featuring Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and leader of the Wagner Group.

Prigozhin inspected a body in the video as well as the apparent driver's license, U.S. Uniformed Service card and Department of Veterans Affairs card of the deceased.

"So we will hand him over to the United States of America, we'll put him in a coffin, cover him with the American flag with respect because he did not die in his bed as a grandpa but he died at war and most likely a worthy [death], right?" Prigozhin said, according to CNN.

Another soldier said the deceased man was returning fire when he was killed. Prigozhin replied, "He was shooting back; he died in the battle, so we will hand over his documents tomorrow morning and pack everything, right?" 

Just the News cannot confirm the authenticity of the documents or the identity of the body featured in the video. 

The name written on the identification card matches that of a man identified by The Idaho Statesman in an article last year as a former Green Beret who traveled to Ukraine to train civilians how to fight Russian troops.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.