War

Swiss volunteer killed in war in Ukraine

For the first time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a Swiss volunteer has been killed in the war.

This was reported by Swiss Info, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry said that the embassy in Kyiv was informed of the death of the citizen at the beginning of the year.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Michael Steiner said in an interview with public broadcaster SRF that the Swiss was probably killed in action. The circumstances of the death are currently unclear. In particular, it is not known in which unit he served and in which region he was deployed.

The Swiss military justice opened several criminal proceedings against Swiss citizens after the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine. They are suspected of having participated in hostilities as volunteers or mercenaries. Currently, 13 proceedings are ongoing.

Service abroad can be punishable under Swiss military criminal law by up to three years in prison or a fine.

By February 24, 2022, the Swiss military justice system had opened three proceedings related to the war in Ukraine.