Italian soldier dies fighting in Ukraine war

 ROME – An Italian contractor fighting with Ukrainian special forces, Alex Pineschi, died while fighting in the Donetsk region of Ukraine in the war against Russia, Italian state media reported.

 Pineschi, 42, from La Spezia had previously fought in Iraqi and Syrian areas of Kurdistan against ISIS between 2014 -2019 and published a book about his experiences there. The Italian had recently signed a contract with Ukraine’s special intelligence forces.

 He allegedly died on May 23, according to posts circulating on social media, although this has not been officially confirmed by Ukrainian media. Outside of his fighting in Kurdistan and Ukraine, Pineschi was known in Italy for founding AP TAC tactical firearms training.

 He is the 11^th Italian to die in Ukraine during the conflict since its start in 2022.

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