JD Vance’s cousin, Nate Vance, fought for Ukraine

According to the publication, Nate Vance served in the US Marine Corps for four years before moving to Texas and working in an oil company. In March 2022, he traveled to Ukrainian Lviv to help and "see history being made."

There, he met a British volunteer who was looking for people to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In the end, Vance agreed and left for Donbas in June.

Photo: Nate Vance (lefigaro.fr)

"He was older than us. We went to the shooting range. He took an AK-47, without a sight, and set the target 800 meters away. Everyone laughed at him. But when he hit the target five times in a row, the laughter stopped," recalls Dmitro, his comrade.

It is known that Nate Vance fought as part of the "Honor" company.

"He is an excellent fighter with a cool-headed nature. Fifteen times we should have died — fifteen times we were lucky to survive," said Serhii Filimonov, commander of the "Da Vinci Wolves" battalion.

As Le Figaro reports, the brother of the US vice president participated in some of the most intense battles of the Russia-Ukraine war. These included the battles for Kupiansk, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Pokrovsk.

In January 2025, the fighter was discharged from service. However, he wants to continue helping Ukraine. According to him, JD Vance never attempted to learn about his experiences on the frontlines and is disappointed by his brother’s stance on the war.

Le Figaro also reports that when Nate Vance heard his brother verbally attack Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, Nate became angry and disappointed.

"JD is a good and intelligent guy. When he criticized aid to Ukraine, I thought it was because he had to cater to a certain electorate and that it was just political maneuvering. But what they did to Zelenskyy (along with Donald Trump -ed.) was an ambush of absolute bad faith," he said, adding that just because they were relatives, it didn't mean he would tolerate him contributing to the killing of his comrades.