International media reports that three Sri Lankans who fought for Ukraine were killed in a Russian attack. One of these is reported to be a captain named Andrew Ranish Hewage. The identity of the other two is yet to be confirmed.
Russian news services say that these three Sri Lankans were killed in a Russian attack while trying to evacuate dead and wounded Ukrainian soldiers and that all three worked as mercenaries for Ukraine.
Security sources confirm that Andrew Ranish Hewage, who was killed in the Russian attack, was once a member of the Sri Lanka Army infantry, and that he legally retired from the Sri Lanka Army as a lieutenant on September 30, 2012. .
Having worked in the United Arab Emirates, he decided to join the International Forces for the Defense of Ukraine in 2022, where he played an active role.
On February 27, 2022, two days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on “friends of Ukraine” to volunteer for the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces, thus establishing the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine.
According to international media reports, Andrew Ranish Havage was a front-line commander in the Ukraine-Russia war.
It is also reported that the President of Ukraine promoted Captain Andrew Ranish Havage for his bravery on the battlefield.