TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The ashes of Tseng Sheng-guang (曾聖光), the Taiwanese soldier who was killed in action while fighting for Ukraine, was brought back to Taiwan by his family on Wednesday (Nov. 30).

During a press conference, Tseng’s mother, still visibly saddened, thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for reaching out and helping the family through the ordeal. She also thanked those who made donations to the family, as they helped bring Tseng’s ashes back to Taiwan.

She said while she was grief-stricken because of Tseng’s death, when she met Tseng’s comrades and commanders in Ukraine, they told her about his bravery and selflessness. “Knowing that, in the last moments of his life, Sheng-guang was fighting alongside a group of the bravest warriors, that they supported each other and were together in life and death… When I think of these, though I am pained, I find a lot of consolation.”

“Though I am saddened, I will forever be proud to be Sheng-guang's mother,” she added.

When asked what made Tseng decide to join the Ukrainian forces, Tseng’s mother said that through media he had seen civilians, women, and children affected by the war and could not bear not doing anything. She said, “He would rather sacrifice himself for his beliefs than live in a world of injustice. That was why he chose to go to Ukraine.”

According to an earlier report, Tseng died from blood loss on Nov. 2 after being hit by an exploding projectile during a battle with the Russian army in Luhansk Oblast. He was 25.

The Ukraine military held a memorial for Tseng that took place on Nov. 14 at the Church of the Holy Peter and Paul, Lviv. His mother, sister, and wife were in attendance.

He joined the Carpathian Sich Battalion on June 19, 2022, and was described as “a disciplined, balanced, courageous warrior.” On Nov. 6, Tseng’s superior Ruslan Andriyko wrote in a Facebook post in mourning, “A young warrior from Taiwan gave his life for Ukraine. Books will be written about him someday. In the meantime, nothing but pain... A great loss for our battalion, great respect to the family and Taiwan for such a son, and infinite gratitude from all Ukrainian people.”

Tseng's family attends a memorial service held by the Ukraine military in Lviv. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs photo)

A battalion superior speaks to Tseng, who succumbed to his wounds on Nov. 2. (Facebook, Ruslan Andriyko photo)