Malaysian "Student" Injured While Fighting For Ukraine Was Getting Paid RM11,800 Monthly
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain has identified the individual as 20-year-old Lee Bing Hang.
By Sadho Ram — 05 Nov 2024, 04:07 PM
Late last month, reports went viral about Russian forces discovering MyKad and a Malaysian driver's licence belonging to a 20-year-old man from Perlis in Levadne, Zaporizhia, a city in southeast Ukraine
The IDs were among the "trophies" photographed and circulated on social media on 28 October after members of the 336th Marine Brigade of the Russian Naval Infantry captured a Ukrainian stronghold.
The documents showed a registered address in Padang Besar, Perlis.
The Malaysian man was allegedly serving as a mercenary in the 16th Separate Rifle Battalion of Ukraine.
However, when the news broke, Malaysian authorities, including the Foreign Ministry and the man's family in Perlis, remained tightlipped about the details, with Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain claiming that the individual was "furthering his studies" in Ukraine.
According to Razarudin, he was informed of this by the family of the "student".
"We urge the public not to speculate or link [the Malaysian] with 'foreign fighters'," he said.
Now, the IGP has identified the man as Lee Bing Hang, stating that he is indeed fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine against Russia
Razarudin said preliminary investigations found that Lee sustained an ankle injury from shrapnel caused by a Russian drone but is believed to be alive and well after receiving treatment.
He explained that Lee dropped his MyKad and driver's licence during the incident but managed to retain his passport.
Razarudin revealed that Lee was motivated to sign up as a mercenary due to an attractive pay of up to USD2,700 (RM11,800) per month
"In addition, family issues also spurred him to distance himself as Lee was brought up by his mother in Perlis after she separated from his father when he was young," Bernama quoted him as saying.
Razarudin shared that Lee, who had an interest in the military, became a mercenary in Ukraine in April this year after applying through the Ukrainian military's website.
He is reportedly the only Malaysian participating in the war.
"He studied his A Levels at a private college in Petaling Jaya and took a degree course at a college in Subang Jaya before stopping early this year," he said, adding that Lee travelled to the UK in March.
Lee signed up to become a mercenary for Ukraine while in the UK and did not plan to return home.
While the IGP claims that Lee is the sole Malaysian working as a mercenary for Ukraine, a report by the Ukrainian military in January stated that Malaysians, accompanied by a translator, were spotted in Donetsk — a large area that has largely been under Russian control since 2014.
