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An American man has joined pro-Russian fighters in Ukraine.

Masked by a camouflage balaclava with a rifle over his shoulder, the man appeared in a YouTube video calling on US citizens to join him. 

Referring to himself simply as Hunter, he says he left his hometown in Illinois for Yasynuvata, north of Donetsk, a month ago ‘to help Novorossiya become an independent state’.

Revealed: This is the American man self-defined as Hunter who claims to be fighting with pro-Russian rebels

Conflict: Here he is pictured emerging from a trench near Yasynuvata, north of separatist stronghold Donetsk

He admits his knowledge of the situation is ‘limited’ and he doesn’t speak a word of Russian as he flashes his passport saying: ‘I’m an American. I joined an independence movement.’

Defending his move, he says: ‘It seems the Kyiv junta wants to maintain control over this area, Donbass, and the people of Donbass want to be independent of the Kyiv junta.

‘It seems to be a very simple, straightforward situation. 

‘And the Kyiv junta does not necessarily, I believe, reflect… they don’t consider the popular opinion of the people of Donbass. So that’s why this issue is happening.’

He then urges American soldiers to join the fight: ‘If people want to come here, particularly from the West, the Western world, it’d be good to come here.

‘Especially if they have military experience… U.S. military experience would be very valuable here too.’ 

‘Limited understanding’: He told the YouTube video he doesn’t speak Russian and knows little of the conflict

Call to arms: He urged Americans, particularly those with military experience, to come to help the rebels

Hunter tells the camera he has become disillusioned with both the Democrats and the Republicans, but most recently identified as a Republican voter.

The only thing he misses so far are burgers, he said. 

The three-minute video was posted on YouTube on Sunday by the pro-Russian separatist group Patriot Forces of Donbass as Ukraine was hit by its worst violence in a week.

Fighting between pro-Russian rebels and government troops in the east of the country killed at least 12 people and wounded 32.

Colonel Andriy Lysenko told journalists in a briefing in Kyiv yesterday that at least nine troops were killed and 27 had been wounded during clashes in Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Luhansk on Saturday.

Raging on: More than 3,500 lives have been claimed by the conflict since April, figures have shown

Meanwhile, the city council of Donetsk said in a statement published online that at least three civilians were killed and five wounded in overnight shelling of a residential area in the northern part of the city, where fighting has centered on the government-held airport.

Violence has continued despite a cease-fire declared on September 5. Since fighting began in April, the conflict has claimed at least 3,500 lives.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has been at pains to insist to a skeptical audience at home that his peace plan is working. 

Hunter spoke beside rebel trenches in Yasynuvata, a town north of the separatist stronghold of Donetsk and less than a mile from Ukrainian forces. 

He told Reuters he joined the efforts in mid-August but was initially detained and interrogated on suspicion of being a spy because the rebels see the United States as a geopolitical rival for Russia and their own enemy in a Cold War-style standoff over Ukraine.

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