Dutch volunteer soldier killed in eastern Ukraine

A Dutch volunteer serving in the Ukrainian Foreign Legion was killed in eastern Ukraine ten days ago, according to AD. Sources told the newspaper that the man died in Chasiv Yar in East Donetsk on May 20 during fighting there.

The man’s body has since been repatriated. His surviving relatives indicated that they do not want his death put under a spotlight. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has therefore promised that they will not release any details regarding the man’s death.

Ht was at least the third Dutch person to die while fighting with the Ukrainians after Russia intensified its war there in February 2022. The first died on May 4, 2022. The 55-year-old man was killed by artillery fire in Molodova, near the city of Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine.

A 27-year-old Dutch soldier also died fighting for the Ukrainian Foreign Legion in September 2022. The ministry gave no details about how or where the man passed away.

The ministry does not possess statistics regarding the number of Dutch people who have died because of the war in Ukraine. “We do not always have contact with the surviving relatives, which means that we are not involved in the case,” a spokesperson told AD. Dutch people who fight in Ukraine do not usually report this to the ministry.

According to Ukraine's diplomatic mission in the Netherlands, dozens of Dutch volunteers reported to Ukraine at the start of the war.