An American mercenary died in Ukraine, and the US government said it was ＂unaware＂.

A 22-year-old American mercenary died while fighting in Ukraine a few days ago. His mother told CNN on the 29th.

American mercenaries were killed in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict

Rebecca Cabreira, the mother of Willie Joseph Conseil, said Conseil died on 25th. He became the first American known to have died in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

White House Press Secretary Jane Psaki expressed condolences to Conseil’s family, but said that the US government only learned of Conseil’s death from news reports and has not officially confirmed it. When asked about Conseil’s death, US President joseph robinette replied at a White House event: "I am very sad."

△ American mercenary Willie Joseph Conseil

Cabreira said that Conseil had served in the US Marine Corps. Shortly before the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, he signed an employment contract with a private military contractor, and was subsequently sent to Ukraine, and entered the country via Poland in mid-March.

Details of Conseil’s death are unknown, including the place of death. Cabreira said that he fought with "people from different countries", and the person who informed her of Conseil’s death said that his body had not been found.

According to the Associated Press, he served in the US Marine Corps from 2017 to 2020 and never went to the battlefield. A spokesman for the Marine Corps said Conseil was removed from the list for disobeying orders, but no details were released.

After retiring, Conseil worked in a private prison in the United States from May 2021 to January this year. He and his wife have a son, who is not yet one year old.

Us department of defense: "uninformed"

△ Pentagon spokesman John Kirby

On the 29th, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said: "Not that I know of."

△ The minutes of the press conference of the US Department of Defense on April 29 showed that Pentagon spokesman John Kirby expressed "ignorance" on related issues.

Psaki warned American citizens not to travel to Ukraine. Although the United States and its western allies publicly stated that they would not send troops into Ukraine to fight the Russian army, they provided a lot of military support, including weapons and equipment and personnel training.

Russia warns that foreign mercenaries will not be treated as prisoners of war.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman maria Zacharova said on 28th that since the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, about 7,000 mercenaries from more than 60 countries have entered Ukraine. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced on the 17th that more than 1,000 foreign mercenaries have been eliminated and more than 900 mercenaries have fled Ukraine.

△ Russian Defense Ministry Spokesperson Igor Konashenkov

Russian TV station broadcast a picture of two British people captured in Ukraine asking for help from the British government on the 18th. James Cleverly, Secretary of State for European and North American Affairs of the British Foreign Office, said in the British Parliament on 26th that "foreign volunteer fighters" should be "treated as Ukrainian soldiers, treated as prisoners of war according to humanitarian law and fully protected".

However, Konashenkov previously stressed that foreign mercenaries will not be treated as prisoners of war, but "will face criminal responsibility, and the best outcome is long-term imprisonment".