A former elite Irish soldier has been killed in combat in Ukraine, sources have confirmed to The Irish Times.
It is understood the former Defence Forces member was killed in action on Thursday though it was unclear whether his remains had yet been recovered by his colleagues.
The deceased was in his late 20s and was a very experienced soldier who had been a member of the Defence Forces Army Ranger Wing and also had significant combat experience in Ukraine.
He had already been wounded there, suffering serious injuries, but returned to join his unit earlier this year. While he had recovered from his earlier injuries, he was left with lingering issues as a result of his wounds.
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It is understood that earlier incident occurred almost two years ago when an mine or improvised device exploded under a vehicle he was travelling in. He was evacuated back to Ireland for treatment and rehabilitation, including for head injuries, and had returned to Ukraine earlier this year.
The deceased was described by sources as very highly regarded and was a high performance sportsman when he was younger. His family is well known in the Defence Forces, as his relatives have a long tradition of service in Ireland, and he has at least one close relative still serving.
He worked in the emergency services for a period, outside his time in the Defence Forces, and is from the a large town in the Leinster area. Though he appears to have had no ties to Ukraine predating the Russian invasion in February 2022, it is understood he had a strong conviction the Russians must be defeated.
Sources described him as a very principled man who was determined to play his role to fight on the Ukrainian side and was always intent on returning to rejoin the fight even after suffering injuries there in Autumn, 2022.
While specific details were not yet available as of the location of his death, he was fatally wounded while covering his team’s retreat from an area during fighting with Russian forces.
Speaking in New York, where he addressed the United Nations Summit of the Future on Sunday, President Michael D Higgins extended his condolences to the family of the former Irish solider, describing his killing as a “terrible tragedy”.
In reply to queries, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it was “aware of reports” and was providing consular assistance. “As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the detail of individual cases,” it added.
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