Alex Ryzhuk, a 20-year-old from Dublin who has been fighting in Ukraine, is presumed dead following a suspected Russian drone attack.

The Irish Times reported on Wednesday that Ryzhuk, whose parents are Ukrainian, was officially deemed missing in action by the Ukrainian military while serving on the frontline in the war against Russia earlier this month.

A Ukrainian medic familiar with the incident told The Irish Times that Ryzhuk, who went by the name “Irlandets” (“Irishman” in Ukrainian), may have been hit by a Russian drone.

Ryzhuk’s family and girlfriend have been informed that he is officially missing, pending confirmation of his death.

Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance.

In an interview with The Irish Times in May, Ryzhuk said that he was 17 when "everything kicked off" in Ukraine in 2022.

“I was seeing videos on Telegram of what’s going on, and wondering how my family and friends here were doing. So I started searching for places that would take me at 17 [as a recruit]," he told The Irish Times.

"I basically got rejected by everybody and thought well, okay, I am still technically a kid – but I was going to be 18 in about a month.”

Once he was 18, Ryzhuk made plans to travel to Ukraine and join a unit of international volunteers to help defend Kyiv. However, when he told his parents of his plans just hours before boarding a flight to Poland, it caused "a big row" and his parents hid his Irish passport, thwarting his plans to travel.

He got a new passport the following year and eventually departed Ireland, telling his parents he was leaving for basic training with the Irish Defence Forces. When he finally revealed to them that he was actually in Ukraine - on the phone, from Kyiv - he fought with his parents for months until they finally accepted his decision.

In March, Ryzhuk was featured in a short film by military blogger Yuriy Butusov. He said that he is an Irish citizen and that growing up in Dublin, he always spoke English outside the home, but spoke Ukrainian with his family inside the home.

More recently, Ryzhuk was featured in Irish filmmaker Finn Boylan's "Back from the Front" piece for RTÉ.

Boylan described Ryzhuk as "a Dub, true and true" in the piece.

"War is brutal," Ryzhuk told Boylan, "and unfortunately it's a thing that comes at a time when you least expect it."

Ryzhuk said he had a few friends between the ages of 18 and 23 who had died in the war. 

"When someone dies for this cause, it's a person giving the most, what they have, with their life," he said.

"At the end of the day, the most valuable thing you have as a human being is your life. Those people who died, unfortunately, gave that for this country."

During his interview with The Irish Times in May, Ryzhuk said: “I’m just as patriotic towards Ireland as I am towards Ukraine.

"If war started in Ireland now, in two weeks maximum I’m back in Dublin fighting, no questions asked.

“I’d like to go back to Ireland and live peacefully there.

"But Ukraine is also on the table – in war and in [civilian] life, you need to always have multiple plans.”

The Irish Times notes that if Ryzhuk's death is confirmed, he will be the fourth - and youngest - Irish man to die fighting for Ukraine against Russian forces.

Rory Mason, 23, from Dunboyne in Co Meath, was killed in action while fighting in the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine near the Russian border in September 2022.

45-year-old Finbar Cafferkey, from Achill in Co Mayo, died near Bakhmut, Ukraine in May 2023.

Graham Dale, from Raheny in Dublin, died fighting in Pervomaiske, Ukraine last December.