In response to reporting from Breitbart News, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, an American transgender individual claiming to be a “spokesperson” of the Ukrainian military, has criticised Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Moscow for “focussing on the tired trope of gender chaos” after the Republican lawmaker demanded the Biden administration reveal if Ashton-Cirillo receives any American funding or has ties to U.S. intelligence agencies.On Sunday, Breitbart News revealed that Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio had written to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines after apparent Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces spokesperson Sarah Ashton-Cirillo had warned that Russian propagandists will be “hunted down”.
Senator Vance questioned in his letter whether the government has any information suggesting that the Ukrainians are intent on planning to commit acts of violence against those accused of spreading Russian propaganda, whether Ashton-Cirillo is indeed an American citizen in the employ of the Ukrainian military, and if the individual has any ties to U.S. intelligence services or is receiving American resources. He went on to question on Monday if the Ukrainians planned to “kill people who engage in free speech” and asked about the existence of reported “kill lists”, both of which Ashton-Cirillo dismissed as fabrications of Russian propaganda.
