The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has started contacting all 94 personnel on unpaid leave reminding them they cannot go to Ukraine, but said it does not know how many staff are already there.
“The NZDF does not independently track the movements of personnel on leave without pay,” an NZDF spokesperson said.
It comes after New Zealand soldier Dominic Abelmen was killed while fighting in Ukraine.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is unable to comment on plans to repatriate Corporal Dominic Abelen’s body as it cannot comment on consular cases for privacy reasons.
German photojournalist, Fabian Berg, who has documented foreign fighter training, told 1News he believes more Kiwis are fighting against Russia.
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“I met many western people who came to Ukraine to fight with all different backgrounds, ” he said.
Berg returned home last month, after assisting as a photographer and medic for, The Dark Angels, a group made of western soldiers operating under the radar defending Ukraine.
“They're incredibly brave people coming to a country they've never seen…they don't speak the language… to fight for the freedom of the western world,” he said.
One of the primary trainers he met through the Dark Angels, was ex-NZDF according to Berg.
“I think he’s still in the unit,” he said.
Dr Marnie Lloydd, a researcher into foreign fighting and international law at Victoria University says it is “good” the NZDF is reminding people of their advisories not to travel to Ukraine.
She says it isn’t feasible for the Government to keep tabs on what every New Zealander is doing when they go overseas.
“Even though foreign enlistment is lawful under New Zealand law, as we've seen it can raise some sensitivities,” she said.
“It's precisely for that reason that the NZDF has these internal rules requesting soldiers on leave to report on their planned activities for that leave."
