Several Dutch media outlets reported on 31 May, citing their sources, that another Dutch volunteer was killed in action near Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk Oblast, the east of Ukraine.
As reported by Dutch media outlets AD and NU.nl. His body has since been repatriated to the Netherlands.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague informs that, at the relatives’ request, it is not publicly commenting on the incident “because they want as little publicity as possible about the case.”
This has not been the first Dutch casualty during the war. On 4 May 2022, a 55-year old Dutch volunteer died from artillery fire in Molodova, near the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine. In September of that year, a 27-year-old Dutchman who was fighting on the Ukrainian side was killed.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no figures on the total number of Dutch nationals killed during the war. ”There is not always contact with the relatives as a result of which we are then not involved,” a spokesman said.
In practice, Dutch people who choose to fight for Ukraine do not report this to the ministry.
Volunteers of the International Legion
In general, not much is known about the Dutch volunteers participating in the International Legion. In February 2023, one of the volunteers anonymously gave an interview to Dutch news outlet Telegraaf.
During this interview, the volunteer noted that, ”We’re in a tough spot; we can’t leave because of continued pressure from Russian forces.”
”It is hell here (…) Russian forces are coming at us in groups. We are losing many men, yesterday two Poles and an American. They are fortunately losing more,” the volunteer said.
In addition, the volunteer said that ”the great injustice done to a sovereign country like Ukraine by Russia angers me. This is my way of assisting the citizens of Ukraine.”
Read more:
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- American volunteer Andrew Peters was killed in action; he became the 7th American killed in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion
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- Zelenskyy supports foreign training and border missions in Ukraine but refrains from inviting troops to fight