Russian state media reported on Monday that Moscow’s forces in Ukraine successfully extracted a US citizen from eastern Ukraine who had allegedly assisted them in targeting Ukrainian positions for at least two years.

Axar.az reports that , citing Reuters, the US embassy in Moscow stated it could not comment “due to privacy concerns.”

Russian media referred to the individual as “The Quiet American,” a nod to Graham Greene's 1955 novel about early US involvement in Vietnam, featuring a British journalist and an American agent. Reports indicated that he provided information enabling the Russian military to carry out “precision strikes against the enemy.”

According to Russian-backed forces in Donetsk, “The life of the rescued American is not in danger,” and discussions are ongoing regarding his potential political asylum and citizenship in Russia.