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Sarah Ashton-Cirillo came to Ukraine as a US journalist, then the trans woman joined the armed forces and has been fighting Russia ever since.
"I never thought I would fight one day." - Sarah Ashton-Cirillo© Instagram/@sarahashtonlv
Exactly one year ago, on March 9th, 2022, the American journalist Sarah Ashton-Cirillo traveled to Kharkiv in the Ukraine. There she was one of the first local journalists to report on the war against Russia. But now she has shot herself in the Ukrainian army and is serving as a combat medic at the front.
She shares glimpses of the war on Twitter, reporting live from the trenches, even shortly after being hit by shrapnel from a shrapnel shell. In an interview with the "Berliner Zeitung" she talks about her experiences in the war as a transgender soldier and speaks out clearly for a free Ukraine.
As a journalist, she has often been to conflict zones, but never during a war. She came to Ukraine to report firsthand on the war, but that wasn't enough for the 45-year-old. "I never imagined that I would one day fight. But this step-by-step journey – living in Kharkiv, living under Russian terrorism, witnessing Russian war crimes firsthand, becoming a victim of Russian propaganda networks myself – took me to this point , where I knew I wanted to do more," Ashton-Cirillo told the Berliner Zeitung.
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The American reported on a Russian ditch system that was directly adjacent to a cemetery. According to Ashton-Cirillo, the Russians lived there right next to the civilians they murdered and buried. Because the soldiers are said not only to have accidentally killed civilians, it was all part of a strategy.
"We know about these war crimes. And these war crimes will continue until we achieve the full liberation of Ukraine, until we return to the 1991 borders and until we are able to get to this ten point peace plan, the President Zelenskyj as a timetable," explained Sarah Ashton-Cirillo
According to media reports, President Putin has had a death list of Ukrainian LGBTQ activists for a long time because his goal is to destroy the queer community. That is also a reason why Ashton-Cirillo went to war. "When you see that there were hunt lists for gay men in cities like Mariupol, it gets personal. Queer or not, it gets personal." However, the attitude towards queer soldiers in the Ukrainian army is extremely positive, as the American reported. You will be treated like any other soldier.
At the end of February, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo was hit by shrapnel from a shrapnel shell and lost part of her hand. She will also have scars on her face, but she doesn't think about giving up: "As soon as I'm declared healthy enough, I'll be back with my comrades. I was very lucky. In any case, I'll be able to fight to return, and I intend to."
