Former Marine detained in Russia says the news on prison TVs claim that Ukraine is 'all but conquered'

• A former US Marine detained in Russia told his parents the news on Russian TVs claims Ukraine is "all but conquered."
• "They're getting a completely different story" about the war, his father told CNN's Brianna Keilar.

Trevor Reed — a former US Marine who has been held in Russia since 2019 after being convicted in an alleged drunken incident — told his parents that new programs on the televisions in Russian prison claim that Ukraine is "all but conquered."

His parents, Joey and Paula Reed, recounted the conversation in an interview on CNN New Day Wednesday.

"He is telling us what they are hearing there in the barracks from Russian TV. There's a TV somewhere where they're getting information. They're getting a completely different story," Joey told Brianna Keilar.

"In fact, when he called Monday, the news they're getting was that Ukraine was all but conquered, that Russia had covered most of Ukraine already," he said.

When his parents filled him in on what is actually going on — a weeks-long Russian invasion that has killed over 1,000 civilians so far, according to UN estimates — Trevor said, "Oh, wow, that's not at all what we're hearing here."

His mom added that Trevor chuckled when they told him.

"When the Russian government speaks, you should pretty much consider that it's false or largely false," Joey said.

Trevor has been held in Russian prison since August 2019 when he was convicted on charges he attacked Russian police officers. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison in July 2020.