Japanese Man Dies Fighting For Ukraine Against Putin's Forces After Answering Zelenskyy's Call

A Japanese national fighting alongside Ukrainian soldiers against Vladimir Putin‘s army has died. He became Japan’s first confirmed casualty in the Russia-Ukraine war, Tokyo authorities said on Friday.

What Happened: Top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said the man, who was in his 20s, was killed in combat on Wednesday, reported SCMP, via Agence France-Presse. 

See Also: Putin Won’t Attend G20 Summit To Avoid Potential Confrontations With Biden, Other World Leaders Over Ukraine War

This comes a week after a Taiwanese volunteer died in Ukraine on the battlefield and was believed to be the first person from the island killed in the war.

After Putin invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited foreign volunteers to his country to join an "international legion" that would fight alongside Ukrainians against Moscow. Some 20,000 international volunteers by March, most of them from European nations, had joined the war on the Ukrainian side, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had told US broadcaster CNN.

Matsuno said the Japanese authorities are in the process of "contacting the family and offering necessary assistance."

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military command said that the forces killed “around 50 Russian occupiers” on Thursday. 

Check out more of Benzinga’s Europe and Asia coverage by following this link.