The parents of a New Zealand scientist who was killed in Ukraine said Wednesday he helped save hundreds of people while volunteering in the dangerous Donbas region.
Andrew Bagshaw, 47, a dual New Zealand and British citizen, was killed along with British colleague Chris Parry, 28, while attempting to rescue an elderly woman from the town of Soledar when their car was hit by an artillery shell, according to Bagshaw's parents, Dame Sue and Phil Bagshaw.
The Bagshaws said the deaths, which occurred some time this month, had only just been confirmed to them.
They said their son worked independently and wasn't affiliated with an aid agency, They said he helped evacuate people from dangerous areas and bring food, water and medicine to others in need. They said he even fed abandoned pets.
Soledar has seen intense military action and Russia this month claimed it had retaken the salt-mining town in a rare recent victory in the 11-month conflict.
Bagshaw's parents said Ukrainian authorities were working with officials in New Zealand and Britain, but it could take some time to get their son's body returned from where it was being held at a children's hospital mortuary in the capital, Kyiv.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he'd yet to be officially briefed about the death but had received some preliminary information.
"I just want to extend my condolences to the Bagshaw family," Hipkins said. "I haven't had an opportunity to convey that to them personally yet. It's obviously a very tragic situation for them."
Hipkins said that there was very limited consular support available in Ukraine.
Andrew Bagshaw's parents told reporters their son was a humanitarian who had travelled to Ukraine in April with little more than a backpack and a travel guide.