Abelen’s family released a statement today, just days after the soldier’s body was repatriated.
“What we have learned in the time since Dominic’s death is that he was leading a company of eight soldiers when he died. He was holding off the Russians while everyone else got out,” says his father, Bryce Abelen.
“He did what the New Zealand Army trained him to do; lay out covering fire while his team got to safety.”
Abelen was on leave-without-pay away from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) when he was killed in a firefight trying to re-take an enemy trench in August 2022.
His body was farewelled by soldiers in Ukraine last week.
It’s understood that the 28-year-old’s remains had been in Russian hands since his death.
Dominic Abelen, from the Royal NZ Infantry Regiment's 2/1 Battalion, was killed in Ukraine.
An Instagram post on the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine page said that Abelen had “arrived at the call of Ukraine to defend the values of freedom in the war with the aggressor state Russia”.
“During a combat operation in the Vuhledar area on August 23, 2022, he destroyed Muscovites in close combat. He provided fire cover for his comrades. He was wounded and died in battle,” the post said.
Abelen’s father said his family “assumed the worst” in regards to his son’s remains.
“That he was in a mass grave. So to find out that he had been handed over and would be coming home was such a relief. This is the final part of this episode and we are so grateful to finally have him home,” said Bryce Abelen.
The statement also said that Abelen’s body had “been in Kyiv in Ukraine for a while”, which the family didn’t know about until they were “contacted to do a DNA match”.
His funeral notice encourages attendees to “wear colourful outfits to honour the life he lived”.
Bryce Abelen said in the statement that his son had been quizzed about why he was fighting for Ukraine in an interview before his death.
“Dominic said he was in Ukraine for the fight between evil and good, and that he couldn’t just stand back at watch it. He was a determined man, he’s always been like that,” said Abelen senior.
“When he was 3 years old he unloaded a full trailer of firewood with this tiny little wheelbarrow. It could only hold two pieces of wood in each load but he would climb up, throw two pieces off, then load another two up. That was him - he was there to get the job done,” he said.
Whilst Abelen was on leave from NZDF when he died, a spokesperson told the Herald that his former employer would be “ready to provide ceremonial support to his funeral”.
Abelen was based at Burnham Military Camp outside of Christchurch with the 2nd/1st Battalion Royal New Zealand Regiment.
At the time of Abelen’s death, then Commanding Officer of 2/1 RNZIR, Lieutenant Colonel Cory Neale said Abelen was a well-liked and respected soldier who had been deployed to Iraq during his time in service.
“Corporal Abelen was a quality junior non-commissioned officer, a trusted go-to member of his company and an absolute character who genuinely cared for his soldiers and friends. He will be missed, but also remembered long into the future,” Neale said.
Former NZDF soldier and close friend of Abelen – Kane Te Tai fought alongside him with Ukraine’s International Legion paid tribute to his fallen comrade.
Te Tai paid tribute to Abelen on social media shortly after his death.
“The bro was anything but scenery. Strong, hardcore, handsome but extremely humble,” he wrote online.
“Best believe he died doing what he loved and was extremely good at.
“We will miss you brother. So much. You have left a hole that we are feeling and we could never hope to ever fill.”
He called him a “warrior until the end”.
Te Tai himself was killed in action seven months later in similar circumstances to Abelen, also in the Vuhledar region.
Bryce Abelen gave thanks to the Weatherman Foundation for “helping to bring Dominic home”.
“Without their help this may not have happened, as well as those who donated to the Givealittle page that was set up. Without the generosity of everyday New Zealanders the costs would have just been too phenomenal,” he said.
Abelen senior also thanked NZDF - especially his former unit at Burnham.
