Australian man Nick Parsons dies while volunteering in Ukraine

An Australian man and former soldier has died while volunteering in Ukraine.

An Australian man has died in Ukraine while volunteering with a humanitarian and mine-clearance charity.

Nick Parsons was killed last week in an incident at Izyum, in the country’s war-torn east, while working with Prevail Together, a US and UK-based group that sends volunteers into Ukraine.

In a statement, the charity confirmed the incident, which is still being investigated, had killed its co-founder Chris Garrett.

“On May 6, Prevail received the devastating news that our Founder and Chairman alongside other team members were severely injured in an incident near Izyum,” the statement reads.

“We are still gathering information and working alongside military and police officials to uncover the details.

The war in Ukraine has been raging since February 2022. Picture: Diego Fedele/Getty Images

The location of Izyum in eastern Ukraine. Picture: Google Maps

“We kindly request respect and privacy for the affected families and will provide timely updates when possible.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Ukraine.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” a DFAT spokeswoman said.

“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”

Anthony Albanese, speaking on Monday, did not name Mr Parsons but confirmed he was a volunteer in the conflict and not a participant.

“Out of respect for the family’s privacy and consistent with our obligations, there is a limit to what we can say publicly at this time,” the prime minister said.

“I can confirm he wasn’t a participant in the conflict, he was volunteering with a humanitarian organisation.

“I do want to remind Australians that Ukraine is a do not travel zone.

“The situation is extremely dangerous and we continue to strongly advise all Australians not to travel to Ukraine, under any circumstances.”

NewsWire has contacted Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia Myroshnychenko Vasyl for comment.

Shaun Pinner, a former British soldier volunteering in Ukraine, said three people had been “critically injured” in the incident.

Prevail Together organisers volunteers to serve in Ukraine. Picture: Supplied

“Following up on my previous message: it has now been confirmed that two of the three critically injured individuals have sadly passed away,” he said on X.

“I can confirm that Chris was among those who died. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected.

“We deeply appreciate all the support during this difficult time. Prevail will share further updates as soon as we coordinate with the investigation teams over the next 48 hours.

“We can’t and will not comment during an ongoing investigation.”

A GoFundMe has been established for Mr Garrett, with more than US$46,500 raised as of Monday afternoon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the largest land war in Europe since 1945.