(WASHINGTON) — Trevor Reed, the former U.S. Marine who was wrongfully detained in Russia before being released in a prisoner swap, has been injured while fighting in Ukraine, according to a Biden administration official.
Reed “was not engaged in any activities on behalf of the U.S. government,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said during a press briefing.
Patel declined to say when or where Reed was hurt in Ukraine.
The former Marine was injured in a landmine explosion, ABC News has learned.
State Department officials provided assistance to Reed directly after learning he was hurt, ABC News has learned.
With the help of a nongovernmental organization, Reed “has been transported to Germany and he is receiving medical care,” Patel said.
A source familiar with Reed’s condition said that he is “alert” and “recovering” from his injuries.
A spokesperson for Reed’s family declined to comment.
Reed was arrested in 2019 when he was visiting his Russian girlfriend, a recent law graduate, in Moscow. He was wrongfully detained for nearly three years.
In April 2022, he was freed as part of a prisoner swap between the Biden administration and the Kremlin.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday that U.S. officials don’t believe Reed’s decision to fight in Ukraine should impact efforts to free Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich from Russian detention.
Whelan, a businessman and former U.S. Marine, has been in custody in Russia since 2018. Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, has been detained since March.
“This case is completely separate,” Jean-Pierre said. “They are not the same and they are treated entirely differently.”
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford contributed to this report.
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