TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As condolences poured in on local social media platforms Friday (Nov. 4) for Taiwan's first volunteer soldier who died this week on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, a top Ukrainian lawmaker also expressed his gratitude for the 25-year-old's sacrifice.
Oleksandr Merezhko, Head of the Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, told Taiwan's state media that Tseng Sheng-kuang's (曾聖光) service with a Ukrainian volunteer battalion meant a lot to Ukrainians. Merezhko thanked the Hualien youngster's parents for raising a man who was moral, brave, and just.
"Tseng is setting up a good role model for Taiwanese people and Ukrainians, empowering us to continue to fight for freedom," said the lawmaker.
Arthur Kharytonov, a member of "Ukraine + Taiwan Forum" on Facebook, told CNA that Tseng is "a hero of Ukraine and Taiwan." He added that he is still finding out what he can offer to support the bereaved family of the victim.
In addition to Ukrainians expressing grief at the loss, a Japanese comrade of Tseng also tweeted multiple pictures of Tseng taken during training in Ukraine and made a promise to visit Tseng's hometown after the war.
Tseng, married, joined the Carpathian Sich Battalion in early September and died from blood loss on Wednesday (Nov. 2), after being hit by an exploding projectile during a battle with the Russian army in Luhansk Oblast. His wife is said to be traveling to Ukraine to make final arrangements.
A Taiwanese comrade of Tseng serving in a different unit wrote on Reddit Taiwan that it might take 1.5 months for Tseng's family to retrieve his body due to complicated logistics issues.
