New Zealander killed in Ukraine

The story so far

A 26-year-old Christchurch man has died in Ukraine, reportedly while trying to rescue wounded soldiers after a drone dropped a grenade on him.^{29, 30 May 2025; 3 Jun 2025} His family said he was trained to rescue injured soldiers rather than fight on the front line, and one report described him as very professional despite lacking military training.^{29, 30 May 2025} He is reported to be the fourth New Zealander known to have died in the conflict.^{30 May 2025; 3 Jun 2025} The father of another New Zealander killed in Ukraine said his family received virtually no government support and urged more help for families of those killed.^{30 May 2025}

Latest

A June 3 report said the man was killed at the start of April while assisting wounded comrades, not in late May as first reported.^{3 Jun 2025} The report repeated that he is the fourth known New Zealander to have died in the conflict.^{3 Jun 2025}

What's next

It may take at least six months to recover his body, according to his mother.^{29 May 2025}

Key moments

1. 29 May 2025Family says he was trained to rescue injured soldiers, not fight
2. 29 May 2025Mother reports a drone dropped a grenade on him
3. 30 May 2025Body not yet found; Prime Minister Luxon calls death a tragedy
4. 30 May 2025Father of another killed Kiwi says family received virtually no support
5. 3 Jun 2025Report says he was killed at the start of April

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.