By Anastasiia Malenko and Pavel Polityuk
KYIV (Reuters) – Ryan Routh, the reported suspect in an apparent assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Sunday, stayed in Kyiv in the summer of 2022 to encourage people to fight for Ukraine, he told a news outlet that year.
CNN, Fox News and The New York Times identified Routh, 58, of Hawaii, as the suspect citing unidentified law enforcement officials. The FBI declined to comment and Reuters could not independently verify his identity.
“A lot of the other conflicts are grey but this conflict is definitely black and white. This is about good versus evil,” Routh said in an interview posted by Newsweek Romania in June 2022. His comments suggested he was in Kyiv at the time.
Some four months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Routh perceived the war to be at a critical juncture and called for more international support.
When asked about what he was doing in Ukraine, Routh said his initial goal was to come to fight but after the plan did not work out, because his age and lack of military experience meant he was not accepted, he turned to promoting the cause to others.
“If the governments will not send their official military, then we, civilians, have to pick up the torch and make this thing happen and we have gotten some wonderful people here but it is a small fraction of the number that should be here,” Routh said.
Reuters could not independently verify his assertions.
Hundreds of non-Ukrainians have been fighting against Russian forces in Ukraine and others have played a role in trying to recruit them.
RECRUITMENT EFFORTS
The International Legion, where many of the fighters serve, said it had no links with Routh.
“We would like to clarify that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity,” the group told Reuters. “Any claims or suggestions indicating otherwise are entirely inaccurate.”
Routh also told the Semafor news outlet in March, 2023 that he had been trying to recruit U.S.-trained Afghan fighters to fight for Ukraine against Russia but that the defence ministry in Kyiv had not agreed to issue visas to them.
An official source in Kyiv said authorities were looking into his role, if any, in Ukraine. The defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his assertions.
The Semafor article identified Routh as the head of the International Volunteer Center, which it said helped foreigners wanting to support Ukraine through military and humanitarian means.
Reuters contacted a Ukraine aid group with the same name, and its founder, Ian Netupsky, said Routh did not have any connection with his NGO. He added that there could be another unregistered group or organisation using the same name.
(Editing by Mike Collett-White and Timothy Heritage)
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