An Irishman who has been fighting in the war in Ukraine has said he should "be dead three or four times over" after being shot and hot with shrapnel.
Brian Meagher had been fighting on the frontline in Kharkiv when he was injured.
The Meath native decided to travel to Ukraine in May, where he joined the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine as they fought against Russian troops.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Brian said Kharkiv was quiet until the current offensive began.
He said: "The offensive now that went on, it's probably one of the biggest offensives in the world since World War II, and they've captured over 6,000 square kilometres, so it's pretty big and successful."
Speaking of his time so far in Ukraine, the former prison officer said it has been "a fairly bloody campaign".
He said: "I don't know the casualty rate, but just judging from what I see in the hospital, it's horrendous".
Brian is currently recovering in hospital as he awaits to be transported back to Ireland after he was shot in the arm, with his fingers being seriously injured and was hit by shrapnel in the heart and spine. He also sustained leg injuries.
He said: "I should be dead three or four times over."
Brian is currently being moved from the hospital he was in to Lviv, where he will be sent home to Ireland.
He said he had spoken to his wife and two children but had not told them yet of when he is going home, as "in Ukraine, things change a lot, quite quickly".
Brian added: "I'm waiting until I get to Poland, and I'll be on a flight before I give a text to confirm that I'm coming back."
He went on to say that he did not regret coming to Ukraine to fight.
The dad of two said: "My only regret is that I got hit."
He said he "can't wait" to get home, but he feels guilty that he is leaving Ukraine.
The news comes after 23-year-old Rory Mason, from Dunboyne, Co Meath, was killed on Wednesday, September 28, whilst serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kharkiv Region, near the Russian border.
The family, who have been left heartbroken, are now prioritising the repatriation of Rory's remains.
Remembering his son as a man with "drive and conviction", Rory's father Rob said they are "proud".
He said: "Rory was a private young man of drive, purpose and conviction. Though we are deeply saddened at his death, we are enormously proud of his courage and determination and his selflessness in immediately enlisting to support Ukraine.
"Rory was never political, but he had a deep sense of right and wrong and an inability to turn the other way in the face of injustice. He had a long-standing interest in Eastern Europe, in travel and in learning new languages, including Russian.
"Those who fought alongside Rory speak of 'a truly brave and courageous man who could have left at any time but chose not to'."
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