Finnish volunteer fighter Ville Mykkänen, 26, has been killed in action in Ukraine. His death was reported on Saturday night by Sodan kokeneet, a Finnish mental health association supporting those who have experienced combat.
The NGO said that Mykkänen, who was from Pyhäjärvi in Northern Ostrobothnia, died in early August in the Luhansk area of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, where Russian forces have been pushing an offensive.
Mykkänen is the fifth Finnish volunteer fighter known to have died in Ukraine.
He had served in various political posts, including as chair of the Centre Party's North Ostrobothnian youth wing.
According to a statement from his family posted by the NGO, Mykkänen decided to join the Ukrainian army in the late autumn of 2023.
"Even at a young age, he wanted to influence significant issues and advance justice in the world," the family statement said.
"Russia’s war of aggression started focussed Mykkänen's attention on the real fight for peace and freedom. He had a strong will to defend a free nation. In the end, under the fighting name "Flurry," he made the greatest sacrifice anyone could ever make, losing his life for freedom," it said, adding that "dying in the merciless battles on the front line is a testament to the values he cherished until the last moment: courage, bravery and justice."
4th Finn killed in late July
The veterans' support group Sodan kokeneet is a member of the Finnish Central Association for Mental Health.
On 30 July, it reported the death of the fourth Finn known to have been killed in combat in Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion.
Jussi Tanner, Director General of Consular Services at the Finnish Foreign Ministry, has estimated that some 20-30 Finns are fighting on the Ukrainian front.
