Camilla Jessen
A 26-year-old volunteer from New Zealand was killed by a Russian drone in Ukraine.
Shan-Le Kearns, a 26-year-old volunteer from New Zealand, was killed by a Russian drone in Ukraine while trying to rescue injured soldiers from the battlefield, according to Ukrainian officials and his family.
News of Kearns’ death was confirmed by Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia, in a message shared on X on May 30.
“It was with deep sadness that I received the news that Shan Le Kearns is believed to have lost his life fighting for Ukraine’s freedom,” Myroshnychenko wrote. “My country remains forever thankful for Shan… We will always remember Shan. We will never forget him.”
It was with deep sadness that I received the news that Shan Le Kearns is believed to have lost his life fighting for Ukraine’s freedom. My sincere condolences go to Shan’s family, and to his friends. My country remains forever thankful for Shan, for other New Zealanders, for… pic.twitter.com/YZVObyCNw5
— Vasyl Myroshnychenko (@AmbVasyl) May 30, 2025
Though not serving on the front line as a combatant, Kearns had undergone basic military training after arriving in Ukraine, preparing specifically to support battlefield rescue operations.
His family told New Zealand’s 1News that he had been assisting in the evacuation of wounded soldiers when a Russian drone dropped a grenade on his position.
“He was saving lives,” said his mother, Elis Kearns. “Then he was going back to save more, when a drone dropped a grenade on him.”
Tragically, retrieving Shan-Le’s remains remains impossible for now. His body lies in Russian-controlled territory, badly damaged by the strike.
“They have tried to retrieve [Shan-Le], but were unsuccessful,” Elis said. “They have told us at the very earliest it will be six months before anything can get done.”
Kearns is the latest in a growing list of foreign nationals who have lost their lives while supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
In February, a memorial service was held in Kyiv’s central Maidan Nezalezhnosti square for Ethan Hertweck, a 21-year-old U.S. Marine veteran who died while defending the country.