Daniel Martindale, an American citizen who helped the Kremlin target Ukrainian troops and was secretly evacuated from eastern Ukraine by Russian special forces, has received a Russian passport in Moscow.
According to Reuters, Russian state television broadcast footage on Tuesday showing Martindale wearing a suit and tie, with a neat beard, smiling as he received his new passport. He swore in fluent Russian: “I, Daniel Richard Martindale, voluntarily and consciously accept citizenship of the Russian Federation and swear to abide by the constitution.”
“I firmly believe that Russia is not only my home, but also my family. I am very happy that this recognition not only exists in my heart, but is now also recognized by law.” He held up his passport while giving a television interview. According to Russian media, Martindale was granted citizenship by order of President Vladimir Putin himself.
Reuters was unable to contact Martindale. A U.S. State Department spokesman declined to comment.
Martindale, who claims to be a Christian missionary, is one of many foreigners who supported Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian war, but few foreigners provide key logistical support to Russia in Ukraine like him.
He studied Russian and taught English in the Russian Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok in 2018, and fell in love with Russia.
Martindale, who was over 30 years old, lived in Poland a few months before the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war. He later said in an interview that he had a hunch that Russia would invade Ukraine and was eager to experience this “adventure” in person. In February 2022, he crossed the border from Poland into Ukraine by bicycle.
When the Russian army launched a full-scale offensive, Martindale was in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. He told the pro-Russian media InfoDefense: “It was actually a bit exciting. I knew that my long-awaited adventure would not be canceled.”
In the following two years, he traveled to eastern Ukraine and settled in a village controlled by the Ukrainian army near the front line in the Donetsk region. There he grew carrots, sweet potatoes and corn, and celebrated birthdays and holidays with villagers.
Privately, however, Martindale was passing intelligence information, including Ukrainian troop deployments, to pro-Russian forces.
Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-backed leader of the Donetsk region, praised Martindale’s information on Tuesday for its strategic role in the Russian capture of Kurakhove, a town near Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian logistics hub.
Martindale was secretly evacuated from Ukraine by special forces after Russian forces took control of the village. At a press conference in Moscow last November, he revealed that he had established contact with pro-Russian forces through Telegram.
“For the past two years, I have been doing everything I can to save Russian lives and fight for a future for Russians in Ukraine. I hope to continue doing so,” he said.
Pushilin said on Tuesday that Martindale had proved with his loyalty and actions that he was “one of us.” He added that awarding Martindale a Russian passport was a “symbol of respect and gratitude” for his contribution.
