An Australian soldier who spent several years fighting for Ukraine has been remembered as someone who "gave his life so others could keep theirs".
Russell Allan Wilson was killed in action last month while serving in the country's Donetsk oblast, a comrade and friend told the ABC.
The region, in eastern Ukraine, has been home to some of the most fierce and deadly fighting since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
It is understood Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is providing assistance to Mr Wilson's family.
A DFAT spokesperson said they were "aware of reports that an Australian has died in Ukraine" and that they were "seeking confirmation from local authorities".
A small number of Australians have been killed in Ukraine since fighting escalated almost four years ago.
Russian forces also captured Victorian teacher Oscar Jenkins while he was serving in Ukraine's army last year.
He was subsequently jailed after what Foreign Minister Penny Wong described as a "sham trial".
A friend of Mr Wilson's who fought with him early in the war told the ABC the Australian was killed on December 12.
"Russ was supposed to get married about a week after he was killed. It was his final mission before leave," they said.
It is understood he had lived in Queensland and New South Wales before travelling to Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion.
A post on social media eulogising Mr Wilson said the Australian did not die for "glory, medals or headlines".
"He died because he believed some things are worth standing for — even when the cost is everything," it read.
"My brother chose to stay when it would've been easier to leave.
"He stood his ground in a place where freedom is paid for in blood, and he gave his life so others could keep theirs.
"Ukraine is freer today because of him — but the world is quieter without his laugh, his stubborn courage, his presence beside us."
Russian war bloggers have also posted about Mr Wilson's death on the encrypted messaging service Telegram.
Ukraine's military has been contacted for comment.
The area where the ABC has been told Mr Wilson was fighting is widely regarded as the war's deadliest theatre.
As United States-brokered peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia limp into the new year, on the front lines, unbridled killing continues.
While neither Russia nor Ukraine releases official casualty numbers, independent estimates claim they are in the hundreds of thousands.
Donetsk oblast, where friends say Mr Wilson was killed, and neighbouring Luhansk are coveted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He has sent thousands of soldiers to their deaths in an attempt to capture them.
While Russia's troops are making incremental progress, they have so far been unsuccessful.
