Mr Deegan’s parents Rachel and John issued the statement after news emerged over the weekend that their son, who was just 29, was killed fighting for Ukraine against the Russian invaders in the east of the country on Thursday.

The devastated family of a former elite Irish soldier killed in combat in Ukraine have paid tribute to him as a man of “determination, honour, loyalty and bravery”.

A former member of the elite wing of the Irish Army Rangers has been killed in battles against Russian forces in Ukraine. Source: European Pravda, citing The Irish Times Details: Robert Deegan, a 29-year-old from Newbridge in County Kildare was fatally wounded while fighting for Ukraine last Thursday,

Co Kildare native Robert Deegan is believed to be the fifth Irish person to have been killed while fighting in Ukraine.

TRIBUTES have poured in for a former Irish soldier who was killed in action in Ukraine. Robert Deegan, from Co Kildare, sadly lost his life fighting for the Ukrainian special forces on the front

The Mirror has confirmed that Robert Deegan, who was just 29, died protecting his colleagues from a Russian attack in eastern Ukraine

A former member of the Defence Forces’ elite Army Ranger Wing who was killed while fighting Russian forces in Ukraine had previously lost an eye in an explosion following an attack there. Robert Deegan (29),