Top Ukraine 'volunteer' soldier revealed to be fraud

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In 2022, Newsweek ran a glowing story about an American man who claimed to be a volunteer fighting with the Ukrainian Army. Vasquez claimed in March 2022. that he'd "taken out 7 Russian tanks."

Former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger advocated for Vasquez, urging Twitter to verify his account, and posed in pictures with him.

Only the story of Vasquez joining the Ukrainian Army turned out to be fake. "Kinzinger’s favorite Ukraine hero just deleted his account after it came out he is a fraud," Jack Posobiec said.

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Malcolm Nance, also a supporter of Vasquez, responded to the allegations against Vasquez, as revealed by a current member of the Ukrainian armed forces, saying that he and others had advised Vasquez to "get off Twitter, get his life in order & come back to support [Ukraine] in a legal construct. He took that advice.

"James was NOT fake," Nance continued, "he was troubled. He did a lot for Ukraine but has challenges to face. Respect what he did do."

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Vasquez claimed that he had "decided to pack up and make his way to Ukraine to fight as a volunteer soldier within the Ukrainian Military" after the Russian invasion fo that nation in February 2022.

A report from Ripley's Heroes said that "After spending months fighting alongside the Ukrainians and documenting the war through his verified @JMVasquez1974 Twitter account, James' impact was more profound than he realized. Amassing more than 400,000 Twitter followers, James was not only fighting on the front lines, but he was also reporting the war through an unfiltered lens."

After coming back to the US, Vasquez held fundraisers for Ripley's Heroes. He also engaged in a Sights of Freedom North American Tour in October 2022.

His LinkedIn shows that he is Chief Strategy Officer for Ripley's Heroes, and a soldier for the Ukrainian Army.

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In a tweet from a soldier in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo posted that Vasquez was guilty of "stolen valor," the practice of claiming military valor for one's self despite not having served.

She wrote that while she "won't release private texts," Vasquez had "confirmed to [her] in writing that he does not and has not had a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine."

Prior to that, she wrote: "As a soldier in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who has to live by the rules of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who has fought and fights at the front for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, I'm done w/ lies. James Vasquez is not and has not been in ZSU. @jmvasquez1974 please get help."

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