Marine Vet Released In 2022 US-Russia Prisoner Swap, Injured While Fighting In Ukraine

U.S. Marine Corps veteran Trevor Reed, who was released in a prisoner swap with Russia brokered by the Biden administration in 2022, was injured recently while fighting for Ukraine in the east of that country, CBS News has learned.

Multiple sources tell CBS that Reed was evacuated from Ukraine by a non-governmental organization and is expected to recover from those injuries. Two sources confirm that he is being treated at a military facility in Landstuhl, Germany. Reed suffered a laceration to an extremity.

The Biden administration is aware of Reed's injury in Ukraine and his travel to Germany for treatment. An administration official said in a statement, "I want to be clear here: Mr. Reed was not engaged in any activities on behalf of the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government has been extraordinarily explicit in warning Americans not to travel to Ukraine, let alone to participate in fighting there."

The official also said that U.S. citizens who travel to Ukraine in order to join the fighting there "face significant risks, including the very real risk of capture or death."

"The United States is not able to provide assistance to evacuate U.S. citizens from Ukraine, including those Americans who may decide to travel to Ukraine to participate in the ongoing war," the official said.

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who helped negotiate Reed's release last year, released a statement saying, "Regardless of the circumstances that led to his injuries in Ukraine, it is important to make sure Trevor Reed receives the best possible care so he can return safely to his family. We have worked hard to guarantee Trevor's return from Russia. He is a veteran and should be treated with care."

Reed had been arrested in Moscow in 2019 and the State Department considered him wrongfully detained. Two Americans remain wrongfully detained in Russia: Paul Whelan, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been imprisoned since March and is accused of espionage. Whelan has been detained in Russia since December 2018 and is serving a 16-year prison sentence on espionage charges. The U.S. has declared that both men are being wrongfully detained by Russia.

Two sources also confirm that Reed is scheduled to start college at Georgetown University next month.

Reed family spokesman Jonathan Franks said in a statement to CBS News, "We politely decline to comment on this story."

David Whelan, brother of prisoner Paul Whelan, said in a statement, "I'm sorry to hear that he's been injured. But a hostage's release isn't an end point. They have to live with the aftermath after the hostage takers and others move on. I can't imagine the anger, vengeance, and grief they must feel. I hope he finds some peace now."

The Messenger was the first to report on Reed's injuries and evacuation.