Former defence minister Ron Mark says soldiers in Ukraine had to abandon an attempt to recover New Zealand corporal Dominic Abelen's body after coming under heavy fire from Russian troops.
Mark, who himself is a former soldier who has spent time on the ground in the warzone, says the number of people interested in joining the cause has ballooned since Abelen's death.
Dominic Abelen was on leave without pay from the New Zealand Defence Force when he was killed by Russians in the East of Ukraine.
Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
Ron Mark told reporter, Charlotte Cook, it will now be very difficult to return Corporal Abelen home.
