Former Marine Ethan Hertweck was killed in Ukraine in early December, just several days before the end of his contract, the report said. However, his remains are still in the same place where he died during the attack of the Russian forces near the city of Avdeyevka.
Hertweck’s body still lays under rubble and ice, it added.
The mercenary’s mother, Leslie Hertweck, said that, officially, her son is on record as missing in action (MIA). However, the report pointed out that there is at least one witness who saw how he died.
The family said they made multiple attempts to receive Ethan’s body, but all of them were unsuccessful. Relatives do not rule out that Ukraine will have to get his body during an exchange with Russia in order to send it back to the US. The report stressed that this process may take months.
Hertweck, 37, began serving in Ukraine in early 2023. He served as a military medic, according to the report.
The report also said that he is not the only US mercenary that died in Ukraine since Russia began its military operation in February 2022, there are “dozens” of US citizens who have reportedly died in the battlefield, it added.
Earlier, Kremlin has issued a statement where it clearly outlined that foreign mercenaries fighting in Ukraine would become a legitimate target for the Russian armed forces, thus warning against joining the conflict.