(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The newly appointed, American transgender spokesperson for the Territorial Defense Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is quickly drawing negative attention for highly inflammatory remarks, including ones that dehumanize Russians.
After gloating last week about how Ukraine captured an American journalist who was critical of Ukraine, that spokesperson, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, said this week that Russians aren’t human.
“Do you know the difference between us and them, besides fighting under this flag and for freedom on behalf of the people of Ukraine, while the Russians are fighting for tyranny and dictatorship? It’s pretty simple: We’re human, and those guys most definitely aren’t,” said Ashton-Cirillo, who has also referred to Russians as “orcs.”
The Kyiv Post first announced Ashton-Cirillo’s appointment as Ukrainian Armed Forces’ spokesperson last week on Twitter. According to Newsweek, the transgender American arrived in Ukraine shortly after Russia’s invasion in March 2022, and started working as a war reporter.
After witnessing the war firsthand, Ashton-Cirillo reportedly enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and worked as a combat medic.
“Having been in Ukraine for almost 520 days, in a variety of both civilian and military capacities, more than anything I’ve come to appreciate the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people,” Ashton-Cirillo told Newsweek in an email.
“Over the last month, as my role has evolved from a zero line infantry soldier to one of the public voices of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, I’ve become ever more grateful for that strength.”
The transgender’s inflammatory comments towards Russia come as an aid of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly promised Monday that there will be “no compromise” with his counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
The aid, Mykhailo Podolyak, reportedly said that the only “foundation for negotiations” would be a full Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.
“There can be no compromise positions such as ‘immediate ceasefires’ and ‘negotiations here and now’ that give Russia time to stay in the occupied territories,” Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
