Scandal in the Ukrainian Armed Forces: transgender Sarah Ashton-Chirillo removed from Territorial Defense Forces spokesperson position

Sergeant and transgender individual Sarah Ashton-Chirillo has been removed from her position as the spokesperson for the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This decision was announced by the press service of the Territorial Defense Forces command.

3/3 The command of the TDF will conduct an official investigation into the circumstances of these statements. Appropriate decisions would be taken.
Sergeant Sarah Ashton-Cirillo will be suspended immediately pending the investigation.

— Ukraine Territorial Defense Forces (@TDF_UA) September 20, 2023

The command expressed dissatisfaction with statements made by the servicewoman in recent days. They emphasized that during the military actions against Russia, the Ukrainian Defense Forces strictly adhere to international norms of humanitarian law.

“The statements made by Junior Sergeant Ashton-Chirillo in recent days were not coordinated with either the command of the Territorial Defense Forces or the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. During combat operations against the aggressor, the Ukrainian Defense Forces strictly adhere to international humanitarian law,” the statement reads.

It is reported that to investigate the circumstances surrounding these statements, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will conduct an official investigation and take appropriate measures.

“Sergeant Sarah Ashton-Chirillo will be immediately suspended from her position pending the completion of this investigation,” the statement further notes.

Previously, Sarah Ashton-Chirillo had threatened one of the “Kremlin propagandists” with possible “retribution for crimes.”

“Next week, the teeth of Russian devils will grind even harder, and their rabid mouths will foam in uncontrollable madness when the world sees the beloved Kremlin propagandist pay for his crimes. And this Putin puppet is just the beginning. All Russian military criminals-propagandists will be pursued, and justice will be served because we in Ukraine are guided by faith in God, freedom, and complete liberation,” said the spokesperson for the Territorial Defense Forces.

In August 2023, it was announced that Sarah Ashton-Chirillo, a transgender individual from the United States, had joined the team of spokespersons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was reported then that she would be involved in a new English-language project called “Russia Hates the Truth,” which is aimed at audiences in the United States and Europe. The main goal of this program is to combat the propaganda spread by Moscow.

In the early days of the full-scale war, Sarah Ashton-Chirillo arrived in Ukraine as a military blogger. According to media reports, she was assigned to the 209th battalion of the 113th Territorial Defense Brigade as a medical worker. The Washington Blade, an organization representing the interests of the LGBT community, noted that she worked as a senior military medic in the Kremenets area, where she sustained injuries to her right hand and face from artillery shrapnel. Afterward, she was sent for treatment in Kharkiv.