Ukraine military has a new transgender spokesperson
Former war correspondent from the U.S. now speaks for Ukraine defense forces
A transgender journalist from the United States is now an official spokesperson of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Kyiv Post tweeted that Sarah Ashton-Cirillo “has become one of the speakers for the Defense Forces.”
“Having been in Ukraine for almost 520 days, in a variety of both civilian and military capacities, more than anything I’ve come to appreciate the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people,” Ashton-Cirillo told Newsweek in an email.
“Over the last month, as my role has evolved from a zero line infantry soldier to one of the public voices of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, I’ve become ever more grateful for that strength,” she said
Ashton-Cirillo arrived to Ukraine in March 2022 and worked in the country as a reporter, leading USA Today to refer to her as “the world’s first openly transgender war correspondent.” However, after witnessing the war firsthand, she enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and worked as a combat medic and a junior sergeant.
During an interview with CBS News in February 2023, Ashton-Cirillo revealed her unit had been involved in a skirmish earlier that day. The unit suffered casualties, while Ashton-Cirillo said she had been hit by shell fragments, causing injuries to her hand and face.
She read the dual statements released by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense and Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar regarding her work on behalf of victory (tweeted on Thursday) and said that she cannot be able to describe her official support and this made her humble.
After the news of Ashton-Cirillo’s new role generated negative comments from some Russian bloggers, the junior sergeant was defended by prominent Ukrainians. Among those was Inna Sovsun—a member of Ukraine’s parliament— who congratulated Ashton-Cirillo while taking a swipe at naysayers.
“Sarah Ashton LV is a brave woman who defends Ukraine! She deserves respect & thanks! Sarah, I congratulate you on the position of spokeswoman of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces!” Sovsun wrote on Twitter. “The hate from Russian propaganda is proof that you’re doing everything right!”
“When Russian television station Channel One and a plethora of Kremlin-guided Telegram pages totaling millions of people reported that I was being named the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine’s official English language spokesperson, the response from the Moscow cabal was, as expected, venomous and harsh,” she wrote.
Ashton-Cirillo continued her message by highlighting the support of her direct colleagues and also addressed being attacked online for her identity as a transgender woman.
She reported that propagandist war criminals in Russia focused on her identity. “This is a concept the whole world will witness upon the return of Ukraine to its 1991 borders and the implementation of President [Volodymyr] Zelensky’s 10-point peace formula.”
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