A former U.S. Navy SEAL who went AWOL in 2019 was killed in Ukraine this week, the military service confirmed Saturday.

Driving the news: While the Navy did not identify the former SEAL by name, they confirmed the American was in an active deserter status since March 11, 2019.

• "We cannot speculate as to why the former Sailor was in Ukraine," the official told Axios.

Zoom out: At least six Americans are known to have died fighting in Ukraine, according to AP.

• The U.S. government has discouraged Americans from fighting in Ukraine over concerns that they may be taken hostage by Russian forces.