From BZ/dpa
Ukraine has for the first time reported the death of a German volunteer fighter in the skirmishes against the Russian attack. The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine announced on Saturday in Kyiv that three volunteers from France, Australia and the Netherlands were among the “fallen brothers in arms”.
The names of the four men were also included in the statement, but not the time or place of their deaths.
The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin said the embassy in Kyiv was trying to find out more and was “in contact with the Ukrainian authorities who have spread the relevant news”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on volunteers from all over the world to join the fight against the Russian army. For this purpose, the Legion was founded, which is now actively recruiting. The Russian military repeatedly reports the “annihilation” of mercenaries, and according to Moscow figures, the number of foreigners killed is in the thousands.
“You have chosen to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine,” said Legion spokesman Damien Magrou. “They decided to fight and show the enemy that the values of freedom and democracy shared by the civilized world cannot – and will not – be destroyed by missiles or artillery.” The courage of the men is an inspiration. The Ukrainian people and armed forces are grateful that the “foreign heroes” wanted to protect them from Russia’s “barbaric invasion” and from tyranny. They would have sacrificed themselves. Ukraine is indebted to them, it said. “You will never forget!”
The spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, had repeatedly warned that Moscow would target the mercenaries. “A number of Western countries are promoting, at the state level, their citizens to participate in hostilities against Russian troops as mercenaries of Ukraine,” he said in March. However, Russia had also announced that it would take foreigners into its ranks, including experienced men from Syria.
