Two US military veterans were killed while fighting in Ukraine as "volunteers" late last month, according to media reports.
Andrew Webber, a graduate of the US Military Academy who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Lance Lawrence, a former machine gunner in the US Marine Corps, were both reportedly killed on July 29, 2023, while serving in Ukraine’s 59th Motorized Brigade.
Lawrence had been “providing cover fire under heavy enemy fire for fellow Chosen Company soldiers when he was wounded,” wrote Ryan O’Leary, an American claiming to be serving as a company sergeant with Ukraine's forces, on X (formerly Twitter). O’Leary added that Lawrence was enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was ostensibly "not a mercenary out for blood or excited for combat.”
As for Andrew Webber, according to his LinkedIn profile, he joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces in May this year.
According to another man using the handle @floridasoldat on X, who claimed to have been wounded in the operation that killed the two vets, they had been part of the so-called "Chosen Company." The person claimed this company was not part of the Foreign Legion unit within the Ukrainian military. Like O’Leary, he insisted that the "Chosen Company" was incorporated into Ukraine’s 59th Motorized Brigade, formed as far back as in 2014, when Ukraine unleashed its war against Donbass civilians.
While the US State Department confirmed the death of the two American citizens in a drone attack in Ukraine on July 29, 2023, it refrained from releasing their names on the day in question.
"We can confirm the death of two US citizens in a drone attack in Ukraine on 29 July, 2023. We are in touch with the family and providing all possible consular assistance. Out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time, we have nothing further to add,” the statement said.
Screengrab showing Lance Lawrence (left), a US Marine veteran; and Andrew Webber (right), who were killed on July 29, 2023, while fighting in Ukraine. (Photos courtesy of Ryan O’Leary on X, and a GoFundMe campaign for Webber).
© Photo : Ryan O’Leary (X/GoFundMe)
'Cannon Fodder' for West's Proxy War
A growing number of Americans have been killed while fighting on the side of the Kiev regime. According to US media reports and public statements, many of these individuals had previously served in the US military. Ex-Green Beret Nicholas Maimer, Marine Corps veteran Ian Tortorici, and Daniel Swift, a one-time US Navy SEAL, are just some of those who chose to take on the role of "cannon fodder" for the West’s proxy war against Russia in Ukraine.
It should be noted that the US government, while funneling huge batches of military aid to the Kiev regime, has publicly repeatedly advised Americans against traveling to Ukraine to fight within the ranks of its military. Apparently, such warnings have fallen on deaf ears.
Since the launch of the Russian military operation on February 24, 2022, "a total of 11,675 foreign mercenaries from 84 countries have officially arrived in Ukraine to participate in hostilities on the side of the Ukraine Armed Forces," according to data provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD). Some 4,990 foreign mercenaries employed by Kiev have been eliminated and another 4,910 fled the country. A total of 2,029 mercenaries continue to fight on the side of Ukraine military, the ministry said in July. The Russian Investigative Committee has launched criminal cases against 160 mercenaries from 33 countries fighting as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Furthermore, the MoD said that Kiev has stepped up the recruitment of mercenaries in the US and Canada, facilitated by the CIA and private military companies controlled by it.
"Due to a decline in interest in dying 'for the Kiev regime' in Poland, the UK, and other European countries, recruitment activities in the US and Canada have intensified," the ministry said.
Moscow earlier reiterated that all those foreigners who are fighting on the side of Ukraine in the special operation zone, whether they are "soldiers of fortune" or so-called "volunteers," remain legitimate targets of the Russian military, "who successfully obliterate them."