Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, the American-born transgender spokesperson for Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces (TDF), has been placed on immediate suspension following their recent public statements that weren’t sanctioned by the military’s higher-ups.
A subsequent investigation into the matter is underway, as confirmed by the TDF.
An official statement released by the TDF said, “The statements of JSgt Ashton-Cirillo in recent days were not approved by the command of the TDF or the command of the AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine]. When conducting military operations against the aggressor, the defense forces of Ukraine strictly observe the norms of international humanitarian law.”
The release concluded with, “Sergeant Sarah Ashton-Cirillo will be suspended immediately pending the investigation.”
The specific content of Ashton-Cirillo’s remarks causing the suspension was not directly mentioned by TDF.
However, in a public video from September 13, 2023, Ashton-Cirillo was captured saying, “next week,” a “favorite Kremlin propagandist will pay for their crimes,” and warned that all such pro-Russian propagandists would be “hunted down,” a report from The Daily Caller notes.
Reaffirming their stance, Ashton-Cirillo, a biological male, further stated in a video released this past Monday that pro-Russian propagandists are “not journalists” and emphasized that such “enemies of freedom and democracy will have to answer for their crimes in a court of law.”
Currently, Ashton-Cirillo has not offered any public comments concerning their suspension.
