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Photo: Social networks (illustrative photo)
J.D. Vance's cousin fought on the side of Ukraine
Nate Vance traveled to Lviv in March 2022, feeling like he was witnessing historical events. He met a British volunteer who was recruiting volunteers for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Vance decided to join and was in Donbas by June.
US Vice President J.D. Vance's cousin Nate spent about 2,5 years defending Ukraine at the front, taking part in battles for Avdiivka, Kupyansk, Bakhmut, and Pokrovsk, Le Figaro reports.
Nate Vance served in the Marine Corps 20 years ago. After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, he volunteered to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine and fought as part of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion.
When Nate heard his cousin Jay criticize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House, he was furious. In his camper, wandering the roads of Western America, which he has traveled since his return from Ukraine in January 2025, Nate felt disappointed. Disappointed in his cousin, a few years younger than him — Nate, 47 — whom he had always defended and considered a decent man.
“Jay is a good guy, smart,” he explains. “When he criticized the aid to Ukraine, I thought it was because he needed to please a certain electorate, it was part of the political game. But what they did with Zelensky (together with Donald Trump) was meanness, an absolutely dishonest trap,” he said.
In March 2022, Nate traveled to Lviv, feeling like he was witnessing historical events. There, he met a British volunteer who was recruiting volunteers for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Vance decided to join and in June he found himself in Donbas.
"He was older than us. At the shooting range, he took a Kalashnikov without a sight and set a target 800 m away. At first everyone laughed, but after five well-aimed shots in a row, they fell silent," said his brother Dmytro.
Vance completed his service in January 2025, but he did not stop supporting Ukraine. He is upset that J.D. Vance has shown no interest in his combat experience and opposes helping Kyiv.
"Just because we're related doesn't mean I'll accept you helping to kill my brothers," Nate Vance emphasizes.
