Ukraine Suspends Transgender Spokesperson After Fight With Republican

Ukraine's military announced on Wednesday that it has suspended a U.S.-born spokesperson while an investigation is being conducted about recent comments she made.

Junior Sergeant Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, who is transgender, came to Ukraine in March 2022 as a journalist, but she was inspired to enlist in the Armed Forces of Ukraine after witnessing the invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022. She first served as a combat medic before being named the official spokesperson of the Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) this summer.

A message from the TDF announcing Ashton-Cirillo's suspension was posted on X, formerly Twitter. It said statements she made "in recent days were not approved by the command of the TDF or the command of the AFU."

"When conducting military operations against the aggressor, the defense forces of Ukraine strictly observe the norms of international humanitarian law," the TDF message continued.

"The command of the TDF will conduct an official investigation into the circumstances of these statements. Appropriate decisions would be taken. Sergeant Sarah Ashton-Cirillo will be suspended immediately pending the investigation."

Newsweek reached out to Ashton-Cirillo via email for comment.

The TDF did not provide any additional information about the statements that led to the investigation, but Ashton-Cirillo recently drew the attention of Senator J.D. Vance, an Ohio Republican, about comments she made regarding people who spread Russia propaganda.

The lawmaker sent a letter to U.S. officials on September 15 that requested information about whether Ashton-Cirillo is employed by the Ukrainian military and if she is being "compensated using American resources." According to Vance's letter, she threatened Russian propagandists with "physical violence."

Vance's letter came after Ashton-Cirillo posted a video online on September 13 in which she said a "favorite Kremlin propagandist will pay for their crimes." She added all Russian propagandists would be "hunted down" and "justice will be served."

When asked about Vance's letter for a previous story, Ashton-Cirillo told Newsweek: "Like myself, Senator Vance understands the importance of the First Amendment, and defending it is part of upholding an oath."

Ashton-Cirillo addressed Vance's letter in more detail in a video posted Monday on X. In the clip, she reference the accusation that she supports violence against pro-Kremlin media figures by saying that "the Russian propagandists and war criminals who are spreading lies and pushing false narratives are not journalists, they are information agents and an extension of the Putin-Prigozhin effort to spread chaos and wreak havoc across the globe."

Ashton-Cirillo also mentioned disappointing speculation about her.

"While in Ukraine we are fighting for global liberty and the ideology of victory, too many in Moscow and across the world are still caught up in focusing on the tired trope of gender chaos," Ashton-Cirillo said in the video.

Along with being attacked for her gender identity in Russian media, Ashton-Cirillo has been ridiculed by Americans on social media, including by American right-wing activist/talk show host Charlie Kirk.