- French volunteer fighter was killed by artillery fire in the Kharkiv region.
- The Ukrainian government put their number at around 20,000 in March.
- Britain confirmed in late April, that one of its citizens had been killed in Ukraine.
France confirmed the death of a French volunteer fighter in Ukraine on Friday, following reports that the man was killed by artillery fire in the Kharkiv region.
“We are aware of the sad news that a French citizen has been fatally wounded during combat in Ukraine,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said.
“We remind everyone that the whole of Ukraine is a war zone. In this regard, travel to Ukraine is formally advised against, for whatever reason.”
The Europe 1 radio station reported Thursday that the young man had joined a foreign defense unit in Ukraine and was fighting around Kharkiv, a north-eastern city that has been shelled heavily by Russian forces but remains in Ukrainian hands.
Read more: France to boost arms supplies to Ukraine: FM
Many foreign fighters have responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s appeal for volunteers to come and repel invading Russian forces.
The Ukrainian government put their number at around 20,000 in March, though the figure has not been independently verified.
According to Europe 1, this was the first time a French fighter was killed in the war.
The British government confirmed in late April that one of its citizens, a 36-year-old army veteran, had been killed in Ukraine and another was missing.
Read more: France Foreign Minister will meet with Zelensky on Monday
