EXCLUSIVE: When on-leave New Zealand soldier Dominic Abelen was killed in Ukraine, it was a devastating shock to his family.
Abelen was driven and compelled to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia. He hadn’t told many people about what he was doing.
In fact, his mother had no idea.
Because of this, his family didn’t know he’d started a relationship with someone in Ukraine.
Sadly, they didn’t have as much time together as they could have - but they had plans. In their short relationship, Dom Abelen made a huge impact on Ukrainian Zhanna Tsvir’s life
In an exclusive interview with Today FM, Tsvir shared with host Tova O'Brien insight into her relationship with Abelen.
"We had some kind of romantic relationship," said Tsvir.
"But we were not too much together (sic). So it's difficult for me to say that we were a couple.
"We are very close because we didn't have much time. He came to me, we were in constant contact with each other."
Following Abelen's death, Zhanna told Tova O'Brien she sent his family photos of his experiences in Ukraine.
"I sent them some messages that Dom sent to me because I thought that it would be interesting for them maybe, to know about some of his thoughts about the war, about his experience."
This interview was conducted with the Abelen family's blessing.
Listen to the full interview between Zhanna Tsvir and Tova above.
You can also download the full interview on the Tova podcast, and listen on the go.
