Hundreds of Ukrainians attended the memorial service for Tseng Sheng-guang (曾聖光), a Taiwanese volunteer soldier killed in action while defending Ukraine from Russian invaders.
Family, brothers in arms, and regular Ukrainians say their farewells to a fallen hero at the Church of Saint Peter and Paul in Lviv.
Tseng Sheng-guang (曾聖光) joined the Carpathian Sich Volunteer Battalion in June. The battalion is part of the foreign volunteer contingent fighting for Ukraine’s freedom. In early November, Tseng was killed in action around Luhansk, one of many civilian and military casualties of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He was 25-years-old.
Tseng was a member of the indigenous Amis tribe. He had previously served in the Taiwanese armed forces before being honorably discharged in 2021. He then left his wife and child behind to fight against the Russians in Ukraine. Ukrainian lawmaker Inna Sovsun told the CNA news agency that Tseng was motivated by a “sense of duty for freedom.”
Some Ukrainians present at the ceremony wore “Team Taiwan” vests. One of them, who has previously lived in Taiwan, says he came to support the fallen soldier's family during this difficult time. He says he didn’t know Tseng, but believes he came to Ukraine with a strong sense of purpose.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry also praised Tseng’s warrior spirit and saluted his sacrifice for the cause of liberty.
Tomasz Koper, RTI News