The family has been unable to contact André Hack Bahi since Wednesday. On social media, his colleagues claim he died in combat.
On Mother’s Day, André Luis Hack Bahi, 43, from Rio Grande do Sul, took some time off and went to the family’s WhatsApp group to tell him that his two biggest dreams had already come true.
One of them was to live in a warm place, as she hated the cold. He granted his wish by living in Ceará. The second was to act in a war.
He fulfilled his dream by acting as a volunteer in the Ukrainian war. Then, in a string of three messages, he remembered an article from his school days.
“I don’t remember how old I was as a kid but in a school essay the teacher (sic) titled ‘NE SONHO'”
“I said die in battle. So I can’t say anything with the situation I’m in.”
“But I’m not afraid,” said André.
Less than a month later, André’s family is now seeking information about him, after Brazilians on the battlefield in Ukraine reported that André had been killed in an operation by Russian forces. According to his sister, Letícia Hack, the brother last spoke to the family on Wednesday, 02/06.
“He was in the family group. We commented something and he sent an ‘okay’ signal on WhatsApp. We haven’t had any contact with him since then,” he said.
Rumors of his death surfaced on social media on Sunday. (05/06). André Kivairtis, another Brazilian working in Ukraine, published a lamenting message for the alleged death of his friend.
BBC News Brasil questioned Itamaraty about the alleged death of André Hack Bahi, but no response has been sent so far.
Brazilian Alex Silva, who is also active in the conflict in Ukraine, told BBC News Brazil that he had received reports of the death of his compatriot.
“We had information that he died. This could have happened in the eastern part of the country, where fighting was more intense,” he said.
In Rio Grande do Sul, the Brazilian’s family is concerned about the lack of information and the possibility of confirming rumors of his death.
“So far we only have these reports, but no confirmation. My family is distressed. They are already old,” Letícia says.
Youngest in love with war toys
André was born in Porto Alegre. He was the youngest and only boy among the three sisters.
Letícia Hack remembers André’s interest in the theme of war since he was little.
“He was passionate about war subjects. He loved little soldier dolls when he was little. This passion continued as he got older,” said his sister.
Image: PERSONAL FILE
Letícia even says that André served in the army when he was younger. She graduated as a nurse after serving in the barracks, but soon found a way to stay in the army.
André’s dedication to the theme was spotted on his social media. His Instagram profile has several photos of him wearing a uniform and using a gun.
According to Leticia, André joined the Foreign Legion, a military group based in France that sent fighters to different parts of the world. Also, according to his sister, André would have participated in the fighting in Ivory Coast, where he was injured in 2017.
“We tried to persuade him to give up this idea of war, but he was always passionate about it. That’s what he wanted to do with his life,” Letícia says.
The France-based Legion is not involved in the Ukrainian conflict, but groups of foreign volunteer fighters have been entering the country since the war began in February.
The nun says the family watched André nervously as he went through the conflict in Ukraine. According to him, the brother kept in touch via messaging apps and sent videos and photos of atrocities he found on the battlefield.
“He was very angry. He said what happened was ridiculous. He always sent us videos and photos. What he sent about Bucha was terrible,” Letícia said, referring to the Ukrainian city where Russian forces are located, according to the country’s government. would have killed the military and civilians. The Russians deny the allegations.
Letícia and the rest of the family still treat André as “lost”.
“We have no confirmation that he’s dead. He still doesn’t have a body image, nothing like that. So we still have hope that it could be a mistake and he’s alive,” he said.
Amid a scarcity of reliable information, André’s family in Brazil still doesn’t know what will happen to him if his death is confirmed.
“We don’t know if they will give his body back,” Letícia said.
‘Take care of our baby’
Riana Maria Andrade Moreira, 30, was a friend of André’s before joining the war in Ukraine. The two met in 2019 in Quixadá, a city in the interior of Ceará.
He was a civilian firefighter and instructor in a survival skills course. After the course, André got Riana’s phone number and the two started dating.
“The thing that caught my attention about him was his smile. The energy he conveyed to those around him was incredible,” said Riana.
The couple has a three-year-old daughter. Amid financial difficulties, Riana says André went to Portugal in February this year. He had recently secured his family’s livelihood by acting as a practice driver. She says that shortly after she arrived in Portugal, André announced that he was going to Ukraine.
“He told me he wanted to protect the people there. The war was not fair. I tried to tell him not to go, but that desire was very strong inside him. It was right to support at the time, and that’s what I did. He did,” she says. .
Image: PERSONAL FILE
Riana says that André talked to him almost every day when he was not on duty.
However, the duo last spoke on Wednesday (02/06). He reported that he was advancing with the soldiers towards the Luhansk region, in the east of the country, one of the areas in which the conflicts between Russians and Ukrainians and foreign forces fighting against the occupation were concentrated.
That day, the couple exchanged text messages and video calls over WhatsApp.
“Take care of our little baby,” André told Riana.
“We’ll handle it. Remember that. We (sic). Not me. We (sic),” replied Riana.
“While I’m gone”, André added.
“It will be fine,” Riana said.
Emotionally, she says during the conversation, André asked the two of them to make a video call so they could take a screenshot.
“He said, ‘Let’s take a picture together.’ As with everything else, this could be our last photo,” says Riana.
Like Letícia, André’s friend says she hopes rumors of André’s death are not confirmed. He has yet to comment on the disappearance of his daughter.
“He’s so young. He wanted to see his father the other day and I showed him a video. He was so excited.
Have you watched our new videos on YouTube?? Subscribe to our channel!
source: Noticias
[author_name]
