DFAT investigates reports of another Australian killed fighting for Ukraine

Australian authorities are investigating reports that another Australian has died while fighting for Ukraine.

Last week, numerous Russian-aligned social media channels began reporting the death of Jeremie Robert Munso, claiming he had been killed in late August.

The posts claim he was killed in the same incident as another Australian, Shane "Mozzie" Bagley, who died while fighting with the Ukrainian International Legion's Med Team Alpha.

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) are working with Ukrainian authorities to try to confirm Mr Munso's death, and support is being provided to his family.

Confirmation of deaths in Ukraine can take significant time, and Australian consular assistance is limited due to the ongoing war.

It is understood Mr Munso is from Melbourne.

Ukraine's International Legion advertises online for foreigners to join, offering pay of up to $14,600 a month for soldiers engaged in "assault missions".

An unknown number of Australians have taken up the opportunity, but Ukrainian authorities have previously suggested as many as 16,000 foreigners have served from more than 72 countries.

Australia's travel advice for Ukraine remains at "do not travel" due to the ongoing war.

The ABC yesterday revealed that Daryl Fladung, a Queensland security guard, is missing and feared dead after leaving Australia to fight for Russia.

Reported death used for 'propaganda'

Russian-aligned social media channels have sought to highlight the deaths of foreigners serving in Ukraine's foreign legions.

Last week, numerous channels across various social media platforms, including Instagram, X and Telegram, began posting about the death of Mr Munso and other foreigners.

Associate professor Matthew Sussex, an expert on Russia from the Australian National University, said the Russian state tried to use unofficial social media accounts to give its message a wider reach than what it could achieve with more obvious propaganda tools.

"Russia wants to create distance between official state media channels and unofficial ones, which are more likely to be believed than Russia Today or than things from the Kremlin," Dr Sussex said.

"So it's created a sort of social media ecosystem that it uses, and it uses a variety of platforms from Telegram all the way through to Twitter, X and Facebook."

Russian-aligned Telegram channels have sought to try to identify foreigners serving in Ukrainian units, particularly when they are killed.

Dr Sussex said the channels aimed to deter others from joining.

"Sometimes it's speculation, but sometimes it is accurate," he said.

"But that's not really the job of [these channels].

"The job then gets passed down through the chain to those who will put a spin on it to say: 'Don't come and fight for Ukraine, otherwise you will die."