Australian dad-of-three killed in Ukraine: 'Luck ran out'
An Australian dad-of-three has been killed in Ukraine while assisting the war-torn country in its fight against Russia.
Michael O'Neill, 47, was providing humanitarian aid when he was wounded and killed on Wednesday.
The Tasmania man "had been driving trucks in Ukraine to help civilians flee the country as well as helping transport the wounded", his sister shared on Facebook.
"Unfortunately meeting a sad end," she wrote.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the news on Saturday, saying Mr O'Neill's death was a tragedy.
"I want to give my condolences to the family of the man involved," Mr Albanese said.
"The family has requested that their privacy be respected and I ask the media to do that."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they are "providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian killed in Ukraine", the ABC reports.
The exact details of where and how Mr O’Neill was killed have not been released, but it is expected DFAT will soon release a statement.
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Mr O'Neill has been remembered by his family as a "larrikin" who was "always a battler".
He mostly divided his time between Tasmania and the Philippines, where two of his kids live. He also has a daughter in Melbourne, his sister said.
In a post on Facebook, the Aussie dad's mum shared the tragic news with friends and family.
"He went over to help as a volunteer and if you knew him he wouldn't have been content not to get fully involved," she wrote.
"He trained to be a soldier and ended up in the war zone where the Ukraine army came under very heavy fire and Michael's luck ran out."
A death notice published in Tasmanian newspaper The Hobart Mercury said Michael O'Neill left behind five brothers and sisters.
PM speaks of 'immoral attack' on Ukraine
Russia invaded Ukraine in February, with allegations of war crimes made against the federation's troops since the invasion.
During his trip to the Quad leaders' meeting on Tuesday, Mr Albanese said he had expressed Australia's view that the Russian "unilateral, illegal, immoral attack" on the people of Ukraine was an "outrage".
"The atrocities which are being committed on innocent civilians is something that we couldn't have expected in the 21st century," he told reporters after the meeting.
Earlier this month, then-foreign minister Marise Payne announced further sanctions on high-profile Russians, including media personalities and military higher-ups.
with AAP
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