State Department warns Americans of risks of joining Ukrainian war effort
The State Department is warning Americans of the risks of traveling to Ukraine to join in the fight against Russian troops.
"U.S. citizens should be aware that Russia has stated that it intends to treat foreign fighters in Ukraine as 'mercenaries,' rather than lawful combatants or prisoners of war," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a briefing Friday. "While we expect Russia to respect all of its obligations under the law of war, in light of this very concerning statement, U.S. citizens detained by Russian authorities in Ukraine -- they may be subject to potential attempts at criminal prosecution and may be at heightened risk for mistreatment."
When asked whether the U.S. Department of Justice would prosecute these Americans, Price said he believed they would not, but referred questions to the DOJ.
He declined to offer any metric for how many U.S. citizens have traveled to Ukraine, saying the State Department doesn't track Americans' travel.
ABC News reported Sunday that the Ukrainian embassy has received some 3,000 U.S. applications. Its defense attaché told The Associated Press Thursday that about 100 U.S. citizens have made the cut so far.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken had previously urged Americans to donate to aid groups or Ukrainian institutions, rather than travel to the country to take up arms.
-ABC News' Cindy Smith, Dee Carden and Conor Finnegan