Parents of a Kiwi soldier believed killed in Ukraine in May – but formally listed as missing in action – say they can’t accept he is dead until they have a body.
The Herald reported last week that a fifth New Zealander was believed killed in
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Dad of missing Kiwi soldier Jeremy Braggins says he won’t grieve until son’s body is returned from Ukraine
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New Zealand soldier and combat medic Jeremy Braggins is listed missing in action and reported to be dead. Herald composite image / Getty Images.
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Ukraine lists all lost soldiers as missing in action until their remains or DNA are recovered – even if their deaths are caught on camera.
How middle-aged Kiwi adventurer ended up on the Ukraine frontline
Jeremy Braggins’ father Ian Braggins said his son was “very, very fit” despite being in his 50s – a well-travelled adventurer who loved exploring and had lived in Australia and South Africa.
He said Jeremy was a trained emergency medic, and had worked in ambulances for a private hospital in South Africa.
He had once been part of the New Zealand Army Reserve Force, and was in the Christchurch CBD able to help the wounded when the deadly 6.2 earthquake struck there in 2011, his father said.
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Medics on the Ukrainian frontline double as armed soldiers and are said to be actively hunted out by Russian troops in battle.
The Braggins family shared Christmas together in Europe last year, and Jeremy’s next stop was Ukraine for 60 days of training – then deployment.
He had no partner or children, and his parents told the Herald he didn’t talk much about why he went to Ukraine – or what it was like when he got there.
News of Braggins’ death
Jeremy was part of a four-member unit – all listed missing in action. His colleagues included a Frenchman, a Romanian and an Iranian.
His family formally heard of the unit’s disappearance from the Ukraine military – including a report listing him as MIA after intense fighting in the Donetsk Oblast region in eastern Ukraine.
Braggins was listed MIA on May 17 and Russia took control of the area five days later.
A photo of him in uniform has circulated on a Telegram channel where “Russian patriots” celebrate the reported deaths of foreign fighters.
His father said he understood why people have said his son was dead.
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But the nature of the solemn-looking photo of Jeremy circulating online – and the fact the family saw it first on the Telegram channel – allows him to hold out hope his son survived.
His son hated having his photo taken, Braggins said. Braggins wonders if Jeremy could be a prisoner of war, the photo taken by Russians.
Braggins told the Herald he and his wife Sue will not grieve their son’s death until a body is found.
They are in contact with the Red Cross, which is looking into the cases of more than 30,000 people listed as missing in the conflict.
The case of another Kiwi soldier, Shan-Le Kearns, is on its way to court in Ukraine in an effort to have his April death reclassified from missing to killed.
Meanwhile, the Braggins family faces a long and nervous wait for confirmation of exactly what happened to their son.
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience.
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