A 20-year-old Irishman missing in action and presumed to be dead in Ukraine following a suspected Russian drone attack was motivated to fight on the frontline following the deaths of family members and friends.
Alex Ryzhuk was officially deemed missing in action by the Ukrainian military while serving on the frontline in the war against Russia earlier this month and is presumed dead.
Mr Ryzhuk, an Irish citizen from Rathmines in south Dublin and born to Ukrainian parents, travelled to Ukraine to fight more than 12 months ago.
In an interview recorded on the frontline by filmmaker Finn Boylan in recent months, which aired on RTÉ's Prime Time on Thursday night, Mr Ryzhuk said he needed to be in Ukraine to help out while he still could.
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He explained that serious allegations against Russian soldiers such as rape initially motivated him, alongside the deaths of friends and family members.
“I have a few friends from 18 to 23 who lost their life in this war, and a few older family members that also unfortunately lost their life in this war,” he said.
He described war as “brutal”, saying those who value their life too much can panic and overthink, “but at the same time, if you’re not scared, you have a sense of like heroship, and you’ll die very quickly because of that because you’ll feel invincible.”
“War is not a joke, death in war is a very high probability, and it is something that constantly happens, even if it’s not to you, it’s to someone else or to someone you know.
“You always have to be on edge and just keep improving, because the moment you stop improving yourself is the moment where you get lazy, and that’s kind of the moment where most people start dying,” he said.
Although initially planning to remain in Ukraine for a year, Mr Ryzhuk stayed on, saying that he was in an “addiction” stage of war.
Mr Ryzhuk recalled how his parents had hid his passport after he informed them of his intention to go to Ukraine.
His parents refused to return his passport until he “cooled down a bit”, he said, adding that it did not work, prompting him to apply for a new passport.
“I got my new passport and didn’t tell anyone,” he said adding that he slowly collected money and eventually moved to Ukraine.
His parents, who are from Rivne in Ukraine, moved to Ireland more than two decades ago.
“I was born and raised in Ireland. Ireland has given me many opportunities and many things in my life that I’m grateful for. so I would consider myself Irish.
“But at the same time, I cannot forget about my heritage and where my parents come from,” he said.
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