Utrecht man, 28, reportedly killed in Ukraine battle; Dutch ministry confirms death

A 28-year-old man from the province of Utrecht passed away in Ukraine in early June, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. Reports circulating on messaging app Telegram said the man died while fighting on behalf of Ukraine as that country continues to defend its borders from Russia.

A message from a pro-Russia war blogger on Telegram stated that the victim was a Dutch volunteer who was fighting in the war in Ukraine. He allegedly went to the country to give military training to Ukrainian citizens after Russia intensified its invasion of the nation in 2022. The blogger also claimed the man was from Nieuwland, a village of about a thousand residents in the municipality of Vijfheerenlanden, a small city in provincial Utrecht.

Vijfheerenlanden Mayor Sjors Fröhlich confirmed the Dutch victim was from his municipality. "A horrible message that brings the war even closer than it already was," he wrote on social media.

A relative of the man told the AD that the man traveled to Ukraine anonymously in 2022. An acquaintance of the family said that the man had returned to the Netherlands earlier this year to attend his father’s funeral.

The ministry spokesperson would not confirm the information from the Telegram channel, and did not reveal how the man died, nor the reason the Dutch citizen was in Ukraine. It is also unclear whether the man had any military experience.

The spokesperson also could not say whether the man's body can be repatriated to the Netherlands. The spokesperson said that he is currently in contact with the victim’s family and is trying to provide consular assistance as best as possible. He added that the possibilities for this are “very limited” due to the state of the war in Ukraine.

A family member was also unable to provide any information regarding the transportation of the man's remains. Fröhlich offered his sympathies and support for those affected by the man's death. "I can do nothing but wish the family much strength."