An Australian man has died while providing humanitarian aid to war-torn Ukraine, the prime minister has confirmed.
Michael O’Neill, 47, was killed Wednesday, leaving three children and five siblings behind.
“This is a tragedy and I want to offer my condolences to the family of the man involved,” Anthony Albanese said in Sydney on Saturday.
“The family has demanded that their privacy be respected and I urge the media to do so.”
In a public post on Facebook, one of O’Neill’s sisters said she had been driving trucks to Ukraine to help civilians flee the country and also to help transport the wounded.
Camera icon Michael O’Neill had been driving trucks to Ukraine to help civilians flee the country and also to help transport the wounded. Credit: unknown / supplied
He described his brother as a “larrikin” and “always a fighter.”
“Always looking for a cause he went to Ukraine to drive trucks,” he said.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February, with allegations of war crimes against the federation’s troops since the invasion.
During his trip to the Quad leaders’ meeting on Tuesday, Albanese said he had expressed Australia’s view that Russia’s “unilateral, illegal and immoral attack” on the people of Ukraine was an “outrage.” .
“The atrocities being committed against innocent civilians is something we could not expect in the 21st century,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Earlier this month, then-Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced more sanctions on high-profile Russians, including media personalities and senior military officials.