Ryan Routh’s failed attempt to assassinate President Donald Trump has brought his strange involvement in Ukraine’s war into focus, prompting questions about whether he had connections to intelligence services. Routh, who emerged as a key figure in Ukraine’s foreign volunteer efforts, seems to have been more deeply entangled in the conflict than initially reported.
Routh was introduced to prominent journalists by Ukraine’s Foreign Legion and was portrayed as a reliable pro-Ukraine voice, despite lacking fluency in Russian or Ukrainian. His unyielding commitment to Ukraine’s cause and claims of working closely with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence have led to speculation about possible intelligence ties.
Tanya Lukyanova, a journalist who interviewed Routh in 2023, has now admitted that she failed to properly vet him, allowing her personal support for Ukraine to blind her to the red flags in his background. But the bigger question remains: how did Routh’s fanaticism for Ukraine’s war translate into a plot against President Trump?
Routh’s connections go beyond Ukraine’s Foreign Legion. He reportedly tried to recruit Afghan soldiers fleeing the Taliban to fight against Russia, and he was briefly seen in a video by the neo-Nazi Azov brigade. His activities raise the question of whether he was working independently or whether foreign or U.S. intelligence services were involved in some way.
Routh’s extreme commitment to Ukraine’s cause may have pushed him to the brink of violence. Was this fanaticism harnessed by intelligence services, or was Routh simply acting out his radical views alone? The attempted assassination has left many questioning whether Routh’s connections to Ukraine were part of a larger network with deeper implications for U.S. and international security.
