Local media reports that a U.S. Embassy employee was discovered deceased in the capital city of Ukraine.
Online publication Strana UA said on Wednesday that the body of the unidentified embassy attaché was discovered in Kyiv’s Hilton Hotel on Tuesday, citing law enforcement sources.
The body of the attaché was discovered in the city’s Hilton Hotel on Tuesday, according to a report by the Ukrainian news outlet New Voice (NV), which cited anonymous sources.
Later, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed the death, stating at a press briefing on Wednesday that an American government employee who had been stationed in Kyiv had passed away.
“I hate to even bring this up—but I know sometimes conspiracies theories spin out of control—that it is our understanding that he died of natural causes, and there’s no sign of foul play,” Miller said.
More than two years into Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, word of the killing has leaked out. Russia has received around $51.2 billion in military assistance from the United States since the invasion began on February 24, 2022.
“Yesterday at about 11:00 a.m. the body of an attaché of the U.S. Embassy was found in a hotel room. No signs of violence were found on the body. The man arrived in Ukraine on June 15,” one source said, Strana UA reported.
“According to medical data provided by the U.S. Embassy, the man suffered from high cholesterol,” a source added, according to the report.
Strana provided no more information. NV reported that the hotel room door was closed from the inside and that there were no visible signs of physical harm.
“No autopsy was performed—the body was taken by the U.S. Embassy. It is known that the man had high cholesterol levels,” NV reported.
In order to provide officials, such as Ambassador Bridget Brink, greater freedom to travel throughout the area, the U.S. State Department planned to send up to 30 to 40 diplomats to the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, according to four unnamed sources who spoke with Foreign Policy magazine in March.
The embassy has been criticized for being underfunded and overworked during the conflict, and the magazine said that between 100 and 200 American military and diplomats were stationed there.
The battle in Ukraine is still going on, and the U.S. State Department presently recommends citizens not to travel there due to “active armed conflict.”
“Those choosing to remain in Ukraine should exercise caution due to the potential for military attacks, crime, civil unrest, and consult the Department’s latest security alerts,” the department said in its latest travel advisory, updated on May 22, 2023.
“The security situation in Ukraine remains unpredictable,” it continued. “There are continued reports of Russian forces and their proxies singling out U.S. citizens in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine for detention, interrogation, or harassment because of their nationality.”
