In short:
Queensland man Brock Greenwood died during an exchange with Russian forces in Ukraine.
There have been seven Australian citizens killed on the front lines since the conflict began in 2022.
What’s next?
DFAT is providing Brock Greenwood’s family consular assistance to help bring his remains home to Australia.
The number of Australians fighting on the front lines in Ukraine’s war against Russia may never be known, an Australian military expert says.
Queensland man Brock Greenwood, 24, became the seventh Australian killed in Ukraine on July 6.
His mother, Cassandra Parker, said he travelled overseas in April 2023 without telling his family.
“Brock had followed the Ukrainian war since it started,” she said.
“He hated what was going on over there. He really just wanted to make a difference and help.”
It is understood the 24-year-old from Hervey Bay had no military training before leaving Australia to become an “infantry team leader” for the Ukrainian International Foreign Legion. He died during an exchange with Russian forces.
Family heartbroken
Ms Parker said her son was a “kind, gentle and caring person” dearly loved by his family.
“He was my baby boy, and I’m heartbroken that he didn’t make it back to us, and I won’t get to see him again, but I know he would be proud of himself,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said consular assistance was being provided to the family as they tried to bring his remains home.
Seven Australians have been killed fighting in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022, including former soldiers Joel Stremski and Matthew Jepson, who died in separate incidents in November 2023.
Jennifer Parker, a military expert and adjunct fellow with the University of New South Wales, said it was anyone’s guess how many more Australian citizens were fighting on the front lines.
“Given Australia doesn’t have an embassy or consular staff in Ukraine, I think it would be unlikely that they know the exact numbers,” she said.
The Australian government’s travel advice for Ukraine remains, “Do not travel due to the volatile security environment and military conflict.”
A legal ‘grey area’
Ms Parker said a loophole allowed Australians to join the Ukraine war.
“It is illegal for an Australian citizen resident to head overseas to engage in hostile activities, but there is an exception to that, which is Australians can serve in the official armed forces of another country,” she said.
“When it comes to Ukraine, there are many going over to serve in the foreign legion that was established a couple of days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“There are many also going over to support other organisations that aren’t officially recognised as armed forces, so it is a bit of a legal grey area.”
Ms Parker said people with no military background or training could be lulled into misperceptions that the Ukraine war was a modern conflict being fought with drones and other sophisticated technology.
“The reporting from the front lines in Ukraine is very similar to conflicts from World War II and World War I in terms of brutal trench warfare, pretty arduous fighting and significant injuries and losses of life,” she explained.
DFAT is aware of reports of several Australians attempting to travel to the conflict, but the department does not monitor citizens’ movements overseas.
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