Ryan Wesley Routh was ready to “fight and die” in Ukraine

The suspected gunman who authorities say attempted to kill former President Donald Trump on Sunday had previously pledged his support to Ukraine in its war against Russia – and even went so far as to say he was ready to “fight and die” for Kyiv, according to a report.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged with two counts of weapons misconduct on Monday, a day after he aimed a shot at Trump from 400 yards away through the fence of a West Palm Beach club where the former president was golfing.

Shortly before his arrest, however, Routh tried to use social media to recruit volunteers to fight in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported.

“I would be thrilled to be invited to join a monumental, worthy cause that is making real change in our world,” Routh once wrote on his LinkedIn profile. “I am, of course, free to relocate to any remote location on Earth that could have the most positive impact.”

When Russia began invading Ukraine in 2022, Routh began encouraging non-Ukrainians to travel to the country to fight, writing that he was willing to “fight and die” for the cause, the newspaper reported.

“We must burn down the Kremlin and put an end to Putin and Russia,” he wrote at the time about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Then, in April 2022, Routh traveled to Kyiv, where he was denied entry into Ukrainian military service – prompting him to persuade others to join the fight.

“This was his primary mission — which he assigned himself,” Chris Lutz, a German humanitarian volunteer who knew Routh in Ukraine, told the Journal. “He was not officially assigned by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was simply his personal mission to do this.”

After his arrival, Routh also tweeted via the official account of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he was in Kyiv and planned to set up a tent city in the capital to attract foreign fighters.

“We can mobilize great support and equipment,” he wrote.

Routh, who often wore a T-shirt or bandana with the American flag, told the Romanian version of Newsweek in 2022 that the conflict was “definitely black and white.”

“This is about good versus evil,” he said.

He wrote on his website that “losing this war is not an option” and implored others around the world to “join this fight,” the source said.

“Ryan was more of a recruiting cheerleader,” Lutz said. “He became a mascot of sorts.”

Routh later clashed with the International Legion of Ukraine, whose officials believed he had falsely claimed to be affiliated with the group.

Frustrated by his inability to participate in the war, Routh focused his efforts on defense manufacturing and arms imports and tried to secure contracts for drone production in Ukraine, the Journal said.

“He wore the American flag all the time and had crazy haircuts, then he wore a suit,” Johnny Rogers, an American who worked for a medical NGO in Ukraine, told the newspaper. “When he was in suit mode, he actively tried to get defense contracts. He tried everything he could to do military things. He wanted to be a player.”

But by spring of last year, his money ran out, Rogers told the outlet.

Routh, who studied mechanical engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University until 1998, moved to Hawaii before the war prompted him to turn his attention to Ukraine.

Routh was charged with possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and owning a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the first count and up to five years on the second count.

As the investigation progresses and prosecutors seek indictment, additional charges could be brought against him, prosecutors said.

A detention hearing for Routh has been scheduled for September 23, and his arraignment is scheduled for September 30.