A charred armored vehicle is seen on a street, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, in the town of Bucha in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, Feb. 28, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Maksim Levin.

An Israeli citizen who was killed in Ukraine called his partner shortly before being fatally shot, saying, “I don’t want to die.”

Roman Brodsky, 37, was gunned down while in his vehicle, apparently by Ukrainian forces who mistook him for a Chechen soldier. He made the phone call to his partner as the gunfire broke out, his father, Yafim, told Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

Yafim praised his son’s partner for not leaving his body behind, explaining, “She stayed there in spite of the fact that she was in danger and did not leave the body, and we admire her for that so much.”

“I ask for help to bring my son and his girlfriend back to Israel so we can bury him here,” he said.

Brodsky’s partner is still in Ukraine with his body and finding it difficult to leave.

Alex Miller, described as a close friend of Brodsky, told news site Walla that he warned Brodsky against staying in Ukraine, to no avail.

“We talked every day; we’ve been friends for 20 years,” Miller said. When Miller warned Brodsky the situation was dangerous, “he laughed at me; he didn’t think it would happen. I told him to get out of there.”

“Everyone is broken and we’ve received extremely difficult news,” Miller added. “It’s an extremely difficult and sad morning for the family and friends.”

“We knew 20 minutes after” the incident, he said. “His partner called screaming and said that Roman is gone and they shot him.”

“He was a man who everything he touched was a success,” Miller said of his friend.