Former British soldier fighting in Ukraine found dead in water

A former British army soldier who had gone to fight in Ukraine was found dead in a body of water with his hands tied behind his back, his family has revealed.

The 31-year-old has been identified as Jordan Chadwick, from Burnley, Lancashire. He left the UK to help Ukraine in the fight against Russia in October 2022. His family was informed of his death in June of this year. His body was repatriated by the Ukrainian International Army on August 7.

His mother confirmed the news of his death in an interview with the BBC last week. An inquest into the cause of his death will be held in February.

"His passion to support freedom and assist others with his skills led him to leave the UK and travel to Ukraine in early October 2022", she told the publication.

"Although we are extremely proud of his unwavering courage and resilience, his death has been devastating. No words can be found to describe the loss of such a short life", she added.

Several British nationals have either gone missing or been captured in Ukraine over the last year. Chadwick has become the latest British national to die fighting in Ukraine. A 22-year-old British citizen who had travelled to Ukraine last year died fighting in east Ukraine on Wednesday.

The man, identified as Sam Newey, hails from Solihull, a town in West Midlands County, England. Newey had travelled to Ukraine as a member of a group of international volunteers known as the Dark Angels. His family said that he died fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.

Last year, a British man who had travelled to Ukraine to offer his services as a medic was killed while volunteering in the country. The man, identified as Craig Mackintosh, was from Thetford in Norfolk and died on August 24, 2022, "in the line of duty", his sister Lorna Mackintosh said in a social media post.

The 48-year-old landscape gardener was killed by Russian troops while out on patrol near the city of Kharkiv. He had earlier served in the Territorial Army and wanted to become a full-time soldier. He is survived by two daughters and two stepdaughters.

A former British soldier, who was discharged from service in March last year, died fighting Russian forces in Ukraine.

The soldier, identified as Jordan Gatley, 24, died on June 10, 2022, after giving his notice to the British Army and joining an international unit of fighters just weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Two British nationals were killed while rescuing an elderly woman amid heavy fighting in Soledar, Ukraine. The two, identified as Andrew Bagshaw, 47, and Christopher Parry, 28, had gone missing earlier this year.

Parry, who hailed from Cornwall in the UK, was a software engineer and had gone to Ukraine in March last year as a volunteer. His family said that he helped save as many as 400 lives in the war-ravaged country.

Bagshaw was a resident of New Zealand. He used to work as a scientific researcher in genetics. He had been in Ukraine since April as a volunteer aid worker. The two were killed when their car was hit by an artillery shell as they tried to rescue an elderly woman during intense military action, per a statement from Bagshaw's family.

Five other British nationals who had been captured by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine were allowed to return home in September last year after Saudi Arabia brokered an exchange of detainees between Russia and Ukraine.

The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) had warned people against travelling to Ukraine. It said there was a "real risk to life".

Meanwhile, it has been more than 18 months since Russia invaded Ukraine. Thousands have died and millions have been forced to flee, but the war continues. Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to give up.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), as many as 9,511 civilians have been killed in Ukraine during the war as of August 2023.

According to some reports, the number of soldiers killed on both sides is nearing 500,000. However, these figures cannot be trusted blindly since Russia has often been accused of fudging the issue by not giving the exact number of its war dead.