Former Navy SEAL Daniel W. Swift was killed in the Ukraine on Wednesday, a Navy official told NBC News on Friday.
Swift had been on active desertion status since March 11, 2019, the Navy Absentee Collection and Information Center said.
The center said it did not know why Swift was in the Eastern European country that has been at war with Russia for a year.
Swift was a Special Warfare Operator First Class and enlisted in the Navy on June 28, 2005.
His service record shows that he received numerous medals and awards, including the Legion of Merit, the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.
Swift is the sixth American it is known that he has died fighting in Ukraine, according to State Department statements and individual family reports.
The Associated Press contributed.