The Australian Government confirmed Wednesday the death of an Australian citizen who traveled to Ukraine to fight on the side of the Army in the face of the Russian invasion unleashed on February 24 on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Australian Foreign Ministry has indicated that the man, identified as Sage O’Donnell’, «died in combat defending the freedom of the Ukrainian people», without specifying the date of his death.
It has also confirmed that «it is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Ukraine», as reported by the Australian television channel ABC.
For her part, O’Donnell’s mother said the family is «devastated» by the young man’s death and said the family «will miss his humor, his tender heart, his values and his laughter».
«Sage died in combat defending the freedom of the Ukrainian people. He always believed in defending the country, the people and the right to freedom,» the mother stressed. «Sage passionately upheld his values and served in his country and recently in Ukraine,» she has added.
In this regard, O’Donnell’s mother has emphasized that «Sage chose to act out of his empathy for the Ukrainian people and in the face of the injustice taking place.» «Sage chose to live his life by being honest with his beliefs and his cause,» she concluded.
According to the aforementioned television network, O’Donell would be the fourth Australian killed in action in Ukraine. In November, Trevor Kjeldal was killed in a mortar attack in the Donbas region, located in the east of the country and the scene of conflict since 2014.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
