There are grave fears for a Queensland labourer who signed up to fight for Ukraine’s foreign legion after being rejected by the Australian Army.
Caleb List is feared to have been killed in a battle several weeks ago while fighting against the Russian invasion.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government was providing assistance to a family following reports of List’s death.
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“I’m always constrained in terms of these matters as a result of privacy, but I will just simply say that this is a very dangerous place to be,” she told the ABC this morning.
“We are assisting, providing consular assistance to a family in relation to this matter.”
In a separate press conference, Wong discouraged Australians from travelling to the warzone.
“I’ve made it very clear that we all support Ukraine in their defence of their country,” she said.
“We all condemn Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion, but it is not for Australians to travel to Ukraine to fight.”
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told 9news.com.au it was aware of reports of List’s death.
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“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of people attempting to travel to fight in the war and a small number of Australians reported as missing or deceased in Ukraine,” the spokesperson said.
“We continue to strongly urge Australians not to travel to Ukraine.
“It is a do-not-travel zone because the situation is extremely dangerous.”
List told SBS in 2023 that he had signed up for the Ukrainian foreign legion in 2022 following the onset of Vladimir Putin’s invasion after having previously been turned down by the Australian Army.
“I tried a couple attempts to get in (the Army),” he said.
“For obvious reasons I got rejected, just a bit young and dumb, made some bad choices. But… I wanted something new, like I was sick of the job, I was sick of just being a labourer.”
He also said he had originally planned to join France’s foreign legion before the Kremlin launched its invasion, when he then “got drunk in Poland, crossed the border” and signed up to fight for Ukraine.
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“At the end of the day, I’m just a mercenary and I’m just a soldier of fortune,” he said.
“I’m just looking for an experience and enjoyment and something to get me through life, because in Australia I didn’t really have much going for me so I decided (to start) a new page.”
Reports of List’s death come just days after another Australian was killed while working for a mine-clearing charity in the important eastern city of Izyum.
Compatriot Oscar Jenkins, who also signed up to fight for the foreign legion, was also feared dead earlier this year following his capture by Russian forces, before subsequent footage released by Moscow showed him to be alive but frail.
He has since been charged by Russian authorities for fighting for Ukraine.
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