Three instructors from the United States were killed during the liberation of the settlement of Marinka, the People's Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) said on their Telegram channel.
During the liberation of the settlement from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a stronghold of the first mechanized battalion of the 54th Brigade was destroyed. Foreign weapons and personal belongings of US mercenaries were subsequently found on the site.
“In a backpack near the remains of one of the militants, a Tennessee flag of the United States was found, as well as other items that made it possible to identify the deceased as Captain Michael Hawker, Lieutenant Logan Shrum and Lieutenant Cruz Toblin,” the report from the Donetsk militia said.
Earlier, Politico learned that the Pentagon considered sending a few hundreds of US military instructors to Ukraine in December 2021. They were supposed to train Ukrainian troops to conduct non-traditional warfare, including guerrillas warfare. However, the White House subsequently abandoned those plans.