Ukraine Military Has a New Transgender Spokesperson

A transgender journalist from the United States is now an official spokesperson of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Kyiv Post on Thursday tweeted that Sarah Ashton-Cirillo "has become one of the speakers for the Defense Forces," and her work for Ukraine was soon praised in statements from Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and Hanna Mailar, a Ukrainian deputy minister of defense.

"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," she said.

Ashton-Cirillo arrived to Ukraine in March 2022, soon after Russian President Vladimir Putin began his invasion of the country that February. She initially worked in the country as a reporter, leading USA Today to refer to her as "the world's first openly transgender war correspondent." However, after witnessing the war firsthand, she enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and worked as a combat medic.

During an interview with CBS News in February 2023, Ashton-Cirillo revealed her unit had been involved in a skirmish earlier that day. The unit suffered casualties, while Ashton-Cirillo said she had been hit by shell fragments, causing injuries to her hand and face.

Ashton-Cirillo continues to serve as a junior sergeant in Ukraine's military, and she had already began working for the Territorial Defense Forces as a host of English-language shows Ukraine in the Know and Russia Hates the Truth.

"I have never been so honored as to read the dual statements released by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar regarding my work on behalf of victory," Ashton-Cirillo tweeted on Thursday. "This official support for my service in Ukraine, made in such a rapid and public manner, is humbling and validating in ways that I will never be able to properly describe."

After the news of Ashton-Cirillo's new role generated negative comments from some Russian bloggers, the junior sergeant was defended by prominent Ukrainians. Among those was Inna Sovsun—a member of Ukraine's parliament— who congratulated Ashton-Cirillo while taking a swipe at naysayers.

"@SarahAshtonLV is a brave woman who defends #Ukraine! She deserves respect & thanks! Sarah, I congratulate you on the position of spokeswoman of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces!" Sovsun wrote on Twitter. "The hate from Russian propaganda is proof that you're doing everything right!"

Ashton-Cirillo also addressed the quick backlash she received from Russian sources over her spokesperson role in her email to Newsweek.

"When Russian television station Channel One and a plethora of Kremlin-guided Telegram pages totaling millions of people reported that I was being named the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine's official English language spokesperson, the response from the Moscow cabal was, as expected, venomous and harsh," she wrote.

Ashton-Cirillo continued her message by highlighting the support she has received from Mailar, her direct commanders, her colleagues at the Territorial Defense Forces Media Studios and Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. She also addressed being attacked online for her identity as a transgender woman.

"Part of the narrative used against me by the propagandist war criminals in Russia was focused on my identity. That's a laughable line of attack since in Ukraine we aren't fighting for tolerance or acceptance for select groups of people but liberty and liberation for all people," Ashton-Cirillo said. "This is a concept the whole world will witness upon the return of Ukraine to its 1991 borders and the implementation of President [Volodymyr] Zelensky's 10-point peace formula."