First Known Australian in Russia's Army Missing and Feared Dead, ABC Reports

Daryl "Dundee" Fladung, a 38-year-old security guard from the Australian state of Queensland, is missing and feared dead after joining the Russian army, ABC Investigations reported. He is the first Australian known to have joined the Russian army since the full-scale invasion in 2022. He had no military experience or known family ties to eastern Europe, and his mother has not heard from him since late June.

From Rural Queensland to Moscow

Fladung worked for 10 years as a security officer in shopping centers, bars and clubs. His mother told the ABC he was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and was living with her rent-free in a rural town west of Brisbane, depressed, withdrawn and deep in debt. She believes he met a man online playing live-action war games who convinced him that fighting for Russia would solve his problems. She told the ABC she talked with him for three hours the night before he left, trying to stop him.

In April, Fladung took a one-way ticket to Moscow. He was met at the airport by two British nationals who support Putin, Ben Stimson and Bradley Townsend, the ABC reported. Stimson posted a photo of the three on his Telegram channel, which has more than 1,170 subscribers, welcoming Fladung as the latest volunteer from Australia. Townsend, 33, was reportedly killed by a drone in Ukraine's Donetsk region about 10 days before Fladung disappeared. 

Stimson plays a key role in an English-speaking network that recruits and trains foreign fighters for Russia. He has been involved in the war since 2015, when he joined pro-Russian rebels, and served a prison sentence in the UK for terror offences. He reportedly received Russian citizenship this year and is a member of Putin's United Russia party. The ABC noted previous media reports that Stimson acknowledged helping at least 10 foreign fighters join the war, but he denies luring Fladung. He told the ABC he went to the airport to collect two jars of Vegemite (an Australian yeast-extract spread) and introduced Fladung to a recruiter there, adding that he was not a recruiter. He says Fladung signed a contract along with Townsend. A Russian army document seen by the ABC shows Fladung signed up on April 29.

Injured, Then Sent Toward the Front

After arriving, Fladung opened a public Telegram account and shared a photo of himself in camouflage with an assault rifle at a training camp. Within days he gave an interview to a podcast hosted by Mike Jones, a former British soldier turned Russian marine who actively promotes a pro-Russia website offering foreign recruits monthly salaries, signing bonuses and citizenship, the ABC said. In it, Fladung complained about youth crime, homelessness and tent cities in Australia and said he felt he had more in common with Russia than with the West.

Jones told the ABC that Fladung gave him the contact details of his Russian girlfriend, Marina, just in case. Marina told the ABC they matched on an international marriage dating site six months earlier but never met in person, and that Fladung called her his future wife.

Fladung's mother believes he thought he could leave the Russian army whenever he wanted. She noticed an armed guard in some of the photos he sent.

About a month after signing, Fladung wrote that he had injured his left knee and heel in combat training. After 10 days in a medical bunkhouse, he said on June 10 that he was being sent to a frontline assault the next night or the day after, with no further training, still unable to run. A week later he wrote from what appeared to be the battlefield about a 5-kilometer hike through rough terrain and open ground swarming with drones.

His final public post, on June 20, said he was short of sleep, food and medical care and hoped to survive long enough to be sent to a hospital. His account has been inactive since.

Unconfirmed Reports of His Death

Last month his mother posted on his account asking whether he was dead or missing in action. A user replied that he was dead and had earlier posted that a friend in Fladung's unit said he was killed by an FPV drone. The ABC could not verify the claim. It noted that a BBC investigation this year found more than 3,500 foreign fighters from more than 40 countries have died fighting for Russia. 

"I just want to know if my son's alive," his mother told ABC Investigations. Russia's Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Australia did not respond to the ABC's questions. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade would not confirm whether it had any information about his disappearance.

A Safe Way Out

Foreign nationals lured into Russia's armed forces have an option to safely escape the battlefield with Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project. Families who have lost contact with a relative in Russia can turn to the "I Want to Find" project. See our FAQ for recommendations for victims of Russian military recruitment and their families.