Brazilian Antônio Hashitani, 25 years old, died fighting as a volunteer in the war in Ukraine. The information was confirmed by the Itamaraty last Monday (7).
Hashitani was a medical student at the Pontifical Catholic University (PUC-PR) and volunteered to fight alongside Ukrainian troops against Russia for the paramilitary group Legion Internacional, created by Ukraine to attract foreign volunteers to fight for the country.
Previously, he had traveled to Africa to work on humanitarian projects in Malawi and Tanzania. Family members say that he dreamed of building a community school in the region.
File photo of Antônio Hashitani was shared by friends of the young Brazilian on social networks / Reproduction Facebook
The young Brazilian died while fighting in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, one of the epicenters of the conflict. Estimates show that 30 to 40 Brazilians enlisted to fight in the war alongside Ukraine.
In total, the number of deaths among Brazilian volunteers in the war reaches four. In addition to Antônio Hashitani, Thalita do Valle, Douglas Búrigo and André Hack were the Brazilians who died in combat.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it is in contact with Antônio Hashitani’s family members to provide assistance. The transfer of the body and the death certificate will be provided by the Brazilian embassy in Kiev.
Thalita was a sniper and was formerly part of the ranks of Kurdish forces that fought against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. She died in Ukraine in the same battalion as Douglas Búrigo, during a missile bombing in the city of Kharkiv in July 2022. André Hack, 44, also participated in the International Legion of Foreign Volunteers and was killed in June 2022.
Editing: Rodrigo Durão Coelho
