Overview

• Antonio Omar Dridi, 35, and Manuel Mameli, 25, were killed while fighting as part of Ukraine's International Legion, with their deaths recently confirmed by comrades and media reports.
• Dridi reportedly died in March in a Russian bombardment on a bunker near the Russia-Ukraine border, while Mameli was killed days ago by a Russian drone strike in eastern Ukraine.
• Both bodies remain in Russian-controlled territories, complicating recovery efforts and leaving the Italian Foreign Ministry unable to officially confirm their deaths.
• Italy's Foreign Ministry tracks around 20 volunteers in Ukraine with seven confirmed deaths, while Russia claims 90 Italians enlisted with 35 fatalities, highlighting a discrepancy in figures.
• The deaths of Dridi and Mameli underscore the risks faced by foreign volunteers and the ongoing challenges of verifying casualties in contested front-line areas.