WASHINGTON, Jan 21, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - A former member of the US Navy SEALs who deserted in 2019 was killed in Ukraine earlier this week, the Navy said Friday.

"The Navy can confirm a former sailor was killed in Dnipro, Ukraine on Jan. 18, 2023," a Navy official said in a statement, adding: "We cannot speculate as to why the former sailor was in Ukraine."

The statement was accompanied by biographical data indicating that Daniel Whitney Swift had attained the rank of Special Warfare Operator 1st Class.

Officials gave no further information on the circumstances of his desertion from the US navy.

The US government has sought to discourage its citizens from fighting in Ukraine, but several Americans have been killed there since Russia invaded in February 2022.