Tue Sep 17 05:00:00 UTC 2024: ## Irish Medical Student Faces Death Threats After Leaked Information on Pro-Russian Channels

**Doonbeg, Ireland** – A Clare medical student, Oran McInerney, who spent the summer volunteering on the front lines of the Ukraine war, has received death threats after his personal information was leaked on pro-Russian Telegram channels.

McInerney, who worked with Front Line Medics, a group that provides medical aid and evacuates injured Ukrainian soldiers, says he has been targeted after his name and address were published online, along with pictures of him.

The threats come after McInerney mourned the loss of his friend, Alex Ryzhuk, a 20-year-old Dubliner serving as a volunteer with the Ukrainian military. Ryzhuk, who was reported missing and presumed dead, was mocked by pro-Russian elements on Telegram channels.

“They share your information and hope you get killed in Ukraine,” said McInerney. “If you get killed, they put up another post mocking you. The whole point is to stop other people from coming to Ukraine and helping.”

McInerney, who has made three trips to Ukraine in the past two years, has experienced the war’s brutality firsthand. He narrowly escaped death on a previous trip when a cluster munition detonated near his position.

He describes the Ukrainian people as resolute in their fight for independence, but exhausted by the conflict. “They’re tired of the war,” he says, “but more than that, they don’t want to be taken over by Russia. I don’t think this war is going to end any time soon.”

McInerney’s story highlights the dangers faced by foreign volunteers in Ukraine, and the lengths to which pro-Russian forces will go to deter support for the country. Despite the threats, McInerney says he can shrug them off, but worries for his family’s safety.

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