Both Ukrainian international volunteer units – the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine and the Azov Brigade – have denied reports that Ryan Wesley Routh is one of their members.
The suspected shooter of former US President Donald Trump was not a member of the Ukrainian International Legion, the volunteer unit said, despite reports he traveled to the country to fight and recruit for them.
“We want to clarify that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been a member of, associated with or connected to the International Legion in any capacity,” the unit said. to Euronews. “Any claim or suggestion to the contrary is completely inaccurate.”
The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine, also known as the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, is a unit of the Ukrainian military composed of foreign volunteers. It was established in February 2022, just after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country.
After Mr. Routh was identified as a suspect in what the FBI called a failed assassination attempt on Mr. Trump on a Florida golf course on Sunday, media outlets quickly highlighted his public statements of support for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, a video has emerged on social media linking Routh to the Azov Brigadesaying he took part in an event in 2022 to support the unit’s Mariupol Brigade.
The Azov Brigade said the event was a peaceful protest open to all and that Routh was never part of the unit.
“We want to state on the record that Ryan Wesley Routh has no connection to Azov and has never had any connection to Azov,” the unit said in a statement on X.
“We believe that the dissemination of the story about the possible connection between Azov and Ryan Wesley Routh plays into the hands of Russian propaganda and discredits the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine and the security and defense forces of Ukraine in general,” the statement added.
He reportedly told the New York Times in 2023 that he wanted to help Kyiv repel Moscow’s aggression and that he had traveled to Ukraine just after the war began to help recruit Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban.
According to the New York Times, Mr. Routh said that dozens of soldiers had expressed interest and that he was trying to transfer them from Pakistan and Iran to Ukraine.
However, it is unclear whether Mr Routh has managed to bring foreign volunteers to Ukraine since he made his statements.
A Facebook page from July suggests that he was still actively trying to recruit foreign soldiers for the Ukrainian cause over the summer, but was unable to obtain the necessary permission.
“Soldiers, please don’t call me,” he said on the social media platform. “We are still trying to get Ukraine to accept Afghan soldiers and we hope to have answers in the coming months… please be patient.”
Euronews could not independently verify Mr. Routh’s claims.
