There’s been a shake-up in the public affairs department of the Ukrainian Army. Feisty American transgender territorial defense forces spokesperson Sarah Ashton-Cirillo…

Yeah.

I said it.

And it makes me proud. 💯

🇺🇦🌻 pic.twitter.com/5xQY3wmGWe

— Sarah Ashton-Cirillo (Ukrainian TDF Media) (@SarahAshtonLV) September 20, 2023

…has gotten himself canned for poppin’ off at the chops a little too saucily one time too many.

Junior Sergeant Sarah Ashton-Cirillo has been suspended from the duties of the spokesperson of the @TDF_UA while an investigation is underway. https://t.co/4nN9z2YiW8

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 20, 2023

Oh, he is a minx and quite a social media handful.

…”Sarah Ashton-Cirillo has been suspended from the duties of the spokesperson of the (territorial defence forces of Ukraine) while an investigation is underway,” Ukraine’s defence ministry said on social media.

After coming to Ukraine to report on refugees, Ashton-Cirillo ended up fighting for Ukraine and became a spokesperson for the country’s territorial defence forces.

A trans woman, she told AFP in a recent interview that she had learned to “embrace the hate of the Russians” who have mocked her gender identity.

It was unclear which statements provoked her suspension.

“The statements of (Sarah) Ashton-Cirillo in recent days were not approved by the command of the territorial defence forces,” they said.

“When conducting military operations against the aggressor, the defence forces of Ukraine strictly observe the norms of international humanitarian law.”

His suspension – and I’m just stabbing in the dark here – might also have to do with a very public tit-for-tat he’s been having with Ohio Senator J.D. Vance over threats that were made during his “official” videos. In fact, Vance sent a letter to senior defense and intelligence officials asking them just who the hell was this person and did he have any connection with U.S. intelligence agencies?

…Vance’s letter to top US defense and intelligence officials stated in part:

“In recent days, a video has circulated of an individual who claims to be an English-speaking spokesperson for the Ukrainian military. In the video, this individual, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, looks directly into the camera and threatens physical violence to anyone who circulates ‘Russian propaganda’.”

And more from the letter:

“A number of reports purport to offer additional information, much of it unconfirmed, regarding Ashton-Cirillo. I’ve seen claims this individual is an American, a former intelligence operative in the United States, and an employee of the Ukrainian government. Others have argued Ashton-Cirillo is pulling an elaborate prank. If so, kudos for the delivery of high quality humor,” Vance continued in an apparent reference to Ashton-Cirillo’s reported direct lobbying of the U.S. Congress for military aid to Ukraine last December.

Word of the inquiry got back to the Sgt, and it was probably this last little appearance on camera that pushed the whole thing over the edge.

Is this not the creepiest, most “American Horror Story“-like film sequence you’ve ever seen?

Exclusive 🚨🚨🚨

Special Ukraine in the Know:

My response to Senator Vance’s letter to the US Secretaries of State and Defense and the Director of National Intelligence asking about my role in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/L6KuHgfyC5

— Sarah Ashton-Cirillo (Ukrainian TDF Media) (@SarahAshtonLV) September 18, 2023

But it is real, he’s an official Ukrainian government representative speaking to a United States senator, and the truly bizarre vibes are off the charts.

OMG

J.D. has no time or money for the evil clown show.

🔥Senator @JDVance1 SLAMS taxpayer-funded Ukrainian spokesperson for issuing death threats:

“Are we really funding a military that is threatening the free speech rights of people who disagree with the Ukraine war? Why are our paid guns threatening the rights of Americans?” pic.twitter.com/IkGVxZHTa9

— Senator Vance Press Office (@SenVancePress) September 20, 2023

The money part is my best guess why the creature got the shepard’s hook, even though they’ll paint it related to the threats. Seeing as how President Volodymyr “Woolly Pully” Zelensky was winging his way to the UN to berate and badger the world community at large for more funds…

BREAKING: Ukraine’s Zelensky to meet with William Ackman, the head of Pershing Square Capital; Ken Griffin, CEO Citadel; Jonathan Gray, CEO of Blackstone; and Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, to raise money for Ukraine, per FOX.

— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) September 20, 2023

…and knowing full well that the U.S. Congress is having a serous internal tussle over coughing up the next round of the billions he wants, the last thing Zelensky needs is a malignant cross-dressing freak show calling out a US senator.

GET THE HOOK

Faux-menacing spokesthing aside, the Ukrainian GoFundMe mission was already in some serious trouble before Zelensky ever stepped foot in the Big Apple. Even formerly enthusiastic supporters are starting to choke on the numbers, and with the end of the fiscal year in 13 short days, the financial crunch time is on. Which also means there’s no massaging finer points, and billions of dollars flowing endlessly with no accountability to Ukraine is no longer a finer point, but a bone of contention for many in the Capitol.

Especially considering the way the establishment neo-cons want this whole thing to go.

IS UKRAINE AID DEAD? — Which brings us to the bigger picture: Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY heads to Washington later this week in a last-ditch effort to shore up American support for his war-torn nation. But while there’s a broad bipartisan coalition keen on continuing aid to Kyiv, it increasingly looks like that assistance could become the latest casualty of the battle inside the GOP.

To recap: The White House and Ukraine’s bipartisan allies in the Senate have plotted for weeks to advance $24 billion in supplemental Ukraine aid alongside whatever temporary funding patch moves around the Oct. 1 shutdown deadline. House conservatives have erupted at the notion of attaching Ukraine aid to a CR, and even McCarthy’s gambit of moving it separately with border security legislation has gotten a chilly reception.

Now the notion of moving any Ukraine aid has appeared on the litany of grievances the hard right is using to threaten McCarthy’s speakership. And even Greene, one of McCarthy’s top allies on the right, told Playbook recently that no amount of border funding could compensate for another injection of U.S. taxpayer money overseas.

They’re lining up in the senate, as well, with Rand Paul saying he would actively work to block any Ukrainian funding attached to any bill, less mind a continuing resolution to keep the government from shutting down 1 October.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., put his foot down on Ukraine spending Wednesday, saying he will not support any bill to fund the government past Sept. 30 that includes funding for the war-torn Eastern European country. https://t.co/DlffuqcMTj

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) September 20, 2023

And there are more senators who agree with him.

The American people hate it when The Firm ties funding for one thing to literally every other thing. This is why we’re $33 trillion in debt. I agree with @RandPaul—funding for the U.S. government shouldn’t be held hostage by efforts to send more money to Ukraine. https://t.co/uk2Ko3Yyie

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) September 20, 2023

Pass a clean bill. This “Ukraine gets the money or else everyone else doesn’t“…

"Are you willing to separate Ukraine funding from disaster relief funding so there's less partisanship?"

CHUCK SCHUMER: "I'm not gonna speculate" pic.twitter.com/xulimRR75s

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 19, 2023

…isn’t gonna cut it.

No one’s falling for the “You’re a Russian in my tailpipe!” gaslighting any more.