Ukraine on Saturday announced the deaths of four foreign military volunteers who joined the fight against the Russian invasion, three of whom were from the EU.
“We wish to remember and honor our fallen brothers, who travelled to Ukraine to join the bravest of the brave and fight shoulder to shoulder with the defenders of Ukraine,” the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine said in a statement.
The statement said that the volunteers came from Australia, Germany, France and the Netherlands, and thanked them for their “ultimate sacrifice.” The statement identified the men as Ronald Vogelaar, Michael O’Neill, Björn Benjamin Clavis and Wilfried Blériot but did not specify the time or circumstances of their deaths.
On Friday, Paris confirmed that a French citizen fighting in Ukraine had been killed in combat, according to French media.
The legion was created in the early stages of the war as Ukraine sought to beef up its military forces with foreign volunteers willing to join the fight against the Russians.
On its website, the legion said that citizens from Denmark, Latvia, Poland, Croatia, the Netherlands, Canada, Israel and the U.K. were among its ranks.
