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London: A former Australian Defence Force soldier hailed as a legendary combat medic has been killed in Ukraine while under fire from Russian forces, drawing praise for his “selfless” commitment to others.
The soldier, known by his call sign “Mozzie” in Ukraine where he was fighting as a volunteer, was killed in action last Wednesday, according to his former Australian Army colleague, federal Liberal MP Phillip Thompson.
Thompson said Mozzie served with the Townsville-based 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and was deployed to Butterworth in Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.
“He was a valued member of the battalion’s heavy weapons platoon, affectionately known as the ‘Fatboys’, and earned the respect of all who served alongside him,” he said in a statement.
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“After leaving the Australian Army, Mozzie travelled to Ukraine where he saw significant combat and later joined Med Team Alpha, serving as a combat medic and support specialist with the 1st Foreign Legion Squadron.
“Through his courage, skill and selfless commitment to others, Mozzie saved countless lives on the battlefield. He was the kind of bloke who never hesitated to put others before himself.
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“He was a good man, a great soldier, and someone his mates could always rely on when it mattered most.”
The news drew emotional reactions from supporters of the volunteer soldiers who have fought for Ukraine, including the Protect a Volunteer (PAV) group.
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“Mozzie was a legend,” one group member posted on social media site Reddit.
“The stories about him are crazy but true. He once transfused his own blood, several times over several days, to stabilise a guy and make him able to get evacuated.
“Another time he [exfiltrated] himself due to injury then went BACK and saved Fifty.
“I never actually met him myself. I only met his teammates because Mozzie was always out in the field. But he holds the all-time record for people contacting PAV just to say good things about him.”
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The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has not made any public comment on his death. Mozzie’s full name was not released due to a request from his family for privacy.
Another former Australian Army soldier, Samuel Pedrazzini, died in June in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
Pedrazzini, 26, had trained Ukrainian soldiers in the United Kingdom, as part of a longstanding NATO project, before resigning from the ADF and travelling to Ukraine to volunteer as a soldier last year.
A funeral service for Pedrazzini was held in the western Ukrainian town of Chukalivka, near Ivano-Frankivsk, early in July.
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His commander, whose call sign is Alex, praised the Australian for his military skill, according to a report in The New Voice of Ukraine.
“Sam was an excellent machine gunner, a great marksman and a skilled medic. He was a person who could do absolutely everything,” Alex said.
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“Prior to enlisting, he volunteered at stabilisation points to save wounded soldiers. Samuel deeply loved Ukraine and wanted to stay here.
“At some point, he realised that he wanted to fight for Ukraine, defend its freedom and independence, and become a part of this society.”
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The news follows the emergence of a video interview with another Australian volunteer fighter, Oscar Jenkins, who was captured by Russian forces in December 2024 and is now in prison.
Jenkins was sentenced by a Russian court to 13 years in a penal colony, in a decision that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described as an outrage.
In the interview, Jenkins told Australian interviewer Mark Lowe, a teacher and amateur journalist based in Vladivostok, that he had offered to fight for Russia but had been turned down.
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David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.AdvertisementAdvertisement