"Ukraine’s War Is Unwinnable": What Trump’s Assassination Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh Really Believes About Ukraine

Shortly after his identity has been revealed, it became known that Routh has travelled to Ukraine to volunteer and was allegedly linked to Ukraine’s International Legion. Shortly after, the Ukrainian International Legion stated that Routh was never affiliated with the unit. So did the Azov Brigade, after some initial reports that Routh was apparently a supporter of the Brigade.

However, Western media continued to depict him as a dedicated supporter of Ukraine.

Here’s why this this isn’t the case.

Routh’s book “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War”

In 2023, Ryan Wesley Routh self-published an e-book on Amazon titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy.” In the book, Routh expresses frustration over Ukraine’s lack of support from world leaders and even questions, “Why has Putin not been assassinated?”

According to Babel journalist Sofiia Korotunenko who read the book, here’s what 58 year old North Carolina native actually thinks about Ukraine.

• “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” published in 2023, states that Ukraine will not win the war, predicting it will last for “twenty or thirty years.”

• He criticizes Ukrainians for lacking unity and claims they steal international aid, including tanks and equipment.

• According to Routh, “Ukrainians lacked the intelligence to knock out the Russians for eight years” and practically “invited Putin to invade.” “The conflict could have been ended by a decisive vote,” Routh writes.

• Routh also alleges that foreign volunteers are not fighting Russians but are battling Ukrainians’ “communist thinking.” He states that Ukrainians are “absolutely alien to the idea that you can do something for free” and are “children of communists from Russia, who taught them to hate democracy, the USA, free enterprise and the whole world.”

• Routh calls himself a “loser” who allowed “communism [in Ukraine]” to defeat him.

• He also claims there are nearly 6,000 Afghan soldiers and 10,000 fighters from the “Free Syrian Army” ready to fight in Ukraine, but that the US and Ukraine won’t let him coordinate their efforts.

Routh’s volunteer efforts and disillusionment

In April 2022, Routh traveled to Kyiv with the intention of volunteering on the frontlines, but due to his age and lack of military experience, was not accepted into Ukraine’s International legion. Instead, he settled near a military unit in Kyiv to “find more fighters.”

Routh established the “International Volunteer Center” in Kyiv, setting up a tent in Independence Square displaying flags of countries from which volunteers had died fighting in Ukraine. He also placed flags with the names of fallen Ukrainian soldiers and invited people to share stories about the deceased.

After five months in Ukraine, Routh became disillusioned with the government and locals: he claims that Kyiv police repeatedly dismantled his volunteer center, despite verbal permission from city officials, and his tent and posters were also removed from the Independence Square.

In the summer of 2022, Routh gathered a team to build drones for the Ukrainian military, but the project failed, because “all brilliant minds and motivation faded,” according to him. He mentions in his book that engineers from various countries, including England, Azerbaijan, Iran, and the US collaborated with him, but their enthusiasm and commitment eventually dwindled. In the end, Routh built a drone himself but was barred from testing it in Kyiv and later in Mykolaiv.

Frustrated, Routh abandoned the project, concluding that “cooperation with Ukrainians will not work.” He reflects in his book, “It’s time to get rid of the [drone] prototypes and go home. I gave everything I had to Ukraine and ended up empty-handed.”

Fraud accusations and the Afghan smuggling plan

Back in the US, Routh started working on another project—a foreign battalion for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, consisting of Afghans seeking refuge from the Taliban. He falsely claimed on Facebook that he was negotiating with Ukrainian officials, including former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, and that the US Embassy in Ukraine would fund the project if a spending plan was approved.

Ryan asked potential volunteers to send him their passports, personal data, and resumes, claiming he would submit them to the Ukrainian government. Volunteers had to cover their own visa and travel expenses. Accused of fraud, it was later confirmed by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry that Ryan had no connection to the Armed Forces.

In March 2023, Ryan told The New York Times he had a list of Afghans he planned to smuggle into Ukraine, admitting to forging passports and bribing officials.

Evelyn Aschenbrenner, a former employee of the International Legion, described Routh as “a bigot and a liar”

She said he urged her to illegally smuggle Afghans to the front, and when she refused, he accused her of not helping Ukraine. She described Routh as having a “mania of grandeur,” being detached from reality, and said his actions were disastrous for Ukraine.

Ryan Wesley Routh is currently in custody after being arrested on September 15.