An MSNBC contributor has reportedly left the network to join a worldwide legion fighting on Ukraine’s side in the country’s struggle against a Russian invasion. Former navy intelligence officer Malcolm Nance worked as an on-air analyst for the Comcast-owned cable network since 2007. He wore military fatigues and battle gear on Monday’s episode of Joy Reid’s weekly show “The ReidOut.” He was also pictured with what seemed to be a Kalashnikov rifle.
According to the New York Post, Nance informed Reid that he joined the International Legion of Territorial Defense in Ukraine. The legion is reportedly made up of 20,000 volunteers from 52 nations who enrolled to assist Ukrainian soldiers in combating Russian forces.
.@MalcolmNance fighting in #Ukraine: "Let me say something to the president of the United States. Give them counter-battery long range artillery… Something that can out-range their artillery. If you do that, you stop the attacks on civilians." #TheReidOut pic.twitter.com/ffbBedBEgG
— The ReidOut (@thereidout) April 18, 2022
Nance explained to Reid, “I spent quite a bit of time here in the pre-war period and when the invasion happened, I had friends who were in Donetsk, who were in the Ukrainian army, who were writing to us and telling us, ‘We’re not going to survive tonight. We’ve been hit 500 times.’” He continued, “The more I saw of the war going on, the more I thought, I’m done talking. It’s time to take action here. About a month ago, I joined the International Legion here in Ukraine and I am here to help this country fight what is essentially a war of extermination.”
Nance has written multiple books on counterterrorism and national security. He was a guest analyst on MSNBC on February 28, only days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
