Kiwi volunteer's body found in Ukraine

The body of Andrew Bagshaw, a Kiwi volunteering in war-torn Ukraine, has been found, his family has confirmed.

Dame Sue and Professor Phil Bagshaw, who live in Christchurch, revealed their son and British man Christopher Parry had been trying to rescue an elderly woman from Soledar, in an area of intense military action, when their car was hit by an artillery shell.

“The Ukrainian authorities, and government officials in New Zealand and London have been working hard to learn more details but little further is known about the circumstances of his death,” the family said today. 

“Andrew selflessly took many personal risks and saved many lives; we love him and are very proud indeed of what he did.”

The family confirmed it would be some time before Andrew’s remains returned to New Zealand because of official legal processes in Ukraine.

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We intend that his death shall not be in vain,” the family said. “We are among many parents who grieve the deaths of their sons and daughters.”

The couple called for nations of the world to stop the “immoral war” and to help the Ukrainians to “rid their homeland of an aggressor”.

“The world needs to be strong and stand with Ukraine, giving them the military support, they need now and, help to rebuild their shattered country after the war.”

Bagshaw’s parents confirmed earlier this month that their son and Parry had disappeared.

Reuters reported that forces from Russia’s private military firm Wagner Group had found the body of one of the pair. It was not confirmed at the time who it was.

Dame Sue and Prof Phil Bagshaw confirmed Andrew was the aid worker whose body had been found.

They earlier told media their son was a very intelligent, independently-minded person, “who went there as a volunteer to assist the people of Ukraine, believing it to be the morally right thing to do”.

Andrew was born in the United Kingdom. Philip and Dame Sue said they were very grateful for all the agencies from London and New Zealand, who worked so hard to find him after he disappeared. They were particularly grateful to Kiwi Kare, an NGO working with volunteers in Ukraine.

Grzegorz Rybak was with Bagshaw helping evacuate people and animals from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and had shared a flat with him for two weeks.

He speaks English, Polish and Russian, and translated for Bagshaw as they worked to provide relief for the region.

He had told RNZ the humanitarian situation there was harrowing.

“We were delivering food, sanitary pads, encouraging people to evacuate,” he said.

Rybak said Bagshaw showed humanity at the highest level through the work he was doing in Bakhmut and was hugely respected for his work.

The Daily Mirror reported that Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin’s representative had posted: “On January 8, the Ask Wagner hotline received a request to find two British citizens who disappeared on January 6 in Soledar - Andrew Bagshaw and Christopher Parry.

"Today the body of one of them was found, documents on both Britons were found with him.”