A Swiss mercenary dies on the front in Ukraine – a first
Keystone-SDA
For the first time since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, a Swiss combatant has died on the front in Ukraine. The Swiss embassy in Kyiv was informed of his death at the beginning of the year, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
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The man apparently lost his life in fighting, foreign ministry spokesman Michael Steiner told Swiss public broadcaster, SRF. The circumstances of his death are unclear.
In particular, it is not known in which unit the Swiss soldier was serving or in which region he was stationed. The Ukrainian army has given no information on this subject, Steiner added.
Swiss military justice opened several criminal proceedings against Swiss nationals at the start of the war in Ukraine. They are suspected of having taken part in the fighting as volunteer combatants or mercenaries. Thirteen proceedings are currently under way, according to SRF.
+ Swiss fighters join Ukrainian forces
Up to three years in prison
Services abroad, such as being a mercenary, can be punishable under Swiss military criminal law by up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine. However, it is not certain that the proceedings will ever be successful. Investigations are very difficult in a country at war, according to military justice.
Military justice had already initiated three proceedings in connection with Ukraine before the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. A man from Ticino was sentenced by criminal order to a suspended fine and a fine. He had joined pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk region in 2015.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
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