DONETSK – A 28 year-old Italian man was killed in combat in the region of Donetsk on Sunday, while working as a foreign fighter for the Russian military.  The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the news, which had been revealed to Adnkronos by “diplomatic sources”.   

 Originally from Sardinia, Elia Putzolu had lived near the Southern Russian city of Rostov for several years.  Sources claim Putzolu had ties with Fort Rus, a group that espouses pro-Russian sentiment in its more extreme branches, and that he had enlisted in the Russian military in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic.  The Sardinian is the third Italian to be killed in the conflict since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Italian law punishes enlistment in armed conflicts in foreign nations with up to 14 years in prison. 

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