Irish man fighting in Ukraine reported missing, presumed dead
21 August 2024, 23:31 | Updated: 22 August 2024, 01:05
An Irish man fighting for Ukraine has been reported missing, presumed dead.
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Alex Ryzhuk, a 20-year-old Republic of Ireland citizen born to Ukrainian parents, travelled to the country after turning 18.
According to reports, Ryzhuk had been serving as a volunteer in Eastern Ukraine when he was reported missing.
If confirmed dead, he would become the fourth Irish citizen to die fighting in Ukraine.
Ryzhuk had previously spoken of his intentions to return to Ireland and join the Defence Forces.
"War is not a joke, death in war is a very high probability," he told RTÉ'.
"It is something that constantly happens, even if it's not to you, it's to someone else, or to someone you know.
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed it is aware of the case but refused to comment on Ryzuk’s disappearance.
“As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the details of individual cases,” the department said.
In January 2023, Brits Christopher Parry, 28, and Andrew Bagshaw, 47 – who also had New Zealand citizenship – were killed in eastern Ukraine while helping to evacuate civilians in the Donetsk region.
The pair had been attempting to evacuate an elderly woman from Soledar when their vehicle was hit by an artillery shell.
The bodies of the two men were handed over by the Russians as part of a prisoner of war exchange, according to a top Ukrainian official.
This week saw Ukraine launch one of the largest-ever drone attacks on Moscow.
Some 45 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight, Russia's Ministry of Defence said.
It said 11 were destroyed over the Moscow region, 23 over the Bryansk region, six over Belgorod, three over Kaluga and two over Kursk.
"This was one of the biggest attempts of all time to attack Moscow using drones," Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel.
He said all of the drones were destroyed because strong defences had been created around the capital.
