2nd Taiwanese volunteer soldier dies fighting for Ukraine

Taipei, Nov 3 (CNA) A Taiwanese volunteer soldier who was fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine to help defend the country against Russia's invasion was recently killed, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and a ruling party lawmaker confirmed on Sunday.

MOFA deputy spokesman Hsiao Kuangwei (蕭光偉) told CNA that the ministry was able to confirm the Taiwanese national's death through the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine.

Hsiao said the ministry has contacted the soldier's family in Taiwan and pledged to offer all kinds of assistance to them should they need any in dealing with matters related to his death.

He said the fallen soldier's family did not want his name to be revealed to the public and did not want to talk to the media, calling on journalists to respect their wishes.

Local media, however, has identified the deceased as 44-year-old Wu Chung-ta (吳忠達), a Kaohsiung native who was a veteran from Taiwan's Army Special Forces Command.

According to the Chinese-language China Times, Wu joined the International Legion of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces in 2023. After serving in the legion for half a year, he joined Ukraine's armed forces and had been fighting on the frontline against Russian troops since then.

The China Times reported that Wu died from Russian bombing in the contested Luhansk region on Saturday.

Wu is the second Taiwanese soldier known to have died while fighting for Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in early 2022.

Tseng Sheng-kuang (曾聖光), a 25-year-old member of the International Legion of Ukraine's territorial defense forces, was killed in action in November 2022, becoming the first Taiwanese combatant to die in the country's war with Russia.

Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) told CNA that Wu's death was first reported back to Taiwan to Taipei-based Pastor Huang Chun-sheng (黃春生) by a group of Taiwanese people fighting for Ukraine.

Shen, a member of the Legislature's Foreign and National Defense Committee, said he contacted MOFA and Taiwan's representative in Poland to ask them to confirm with Ukrainian authorities regarding Wu's death.

A Ukraine drone has identified the location of Wu's body but given the battle was still ongoing, Ukrainian forces were still unable to retrieve it, Shen said.

"We will make sure his remains will be returned to his home in Taiwan after Wu's funeral and related ceremonies are completed in Ukraine," Shen said.

Sources told the China Times that there are still six Taiwanese nationals serving as volunteer combatants for Ukraine.