Russian shelling kills US medical volunteer in Ukraine

An American medic has been killed while working on the frontlines in Ukraine, just weeks after arriving in the country.

Pete Reed, 34, was killed on Thursday while he was helping evacuate civilians when his vehicle was reportedly hit by a missile in Bakhmut, the eastern city which has become a focus of fierce fighting.

According to the Kyiv Independent, the shelling injured around five people. In recent weeks, Bakhmut and the neighbouring town of Soledar have been the focus of intense shelling and ground attacks by Russian troops and Wagner mercenaries.

Reed, from Bordentown, New Jersey, was a former US Marine Corps rifleman who had served two tours in Helmand, Afghanistan. After leaving the service, Reed worked as a ski instructor in Wyoming.

He then worked with disaster response organization Team Rubicon after Hurricane Sandy hit his home state in 2012.

His training led him to spearhead medical teams with Kurdish peshmerga forces, as well as work alongside the Iraqi special forces during the battle of Mosul who sought to recapture the Iraqi city from the IS.

Reed eventually co-founded and served as president of Global Response Management (GRM), a veteran-led international medical NGO that delivers emergency care to various frontlines. With GRM, Reed participated in emergency operations across Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Poland.