Two British nationals killed rescuing elderly woman in 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 month.

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. Meanwhile, 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.

Parry's family, in a statement released through the Foreign Office, confirmed the news of the deaths on Tuesday, per a report in The Independent.

"It is with great sadness we have to announce that our beloved Chrissy has been killed along with his colleague Andrew Bagshaw whilst attempting a humanitarian evacuation from Soledar, eastern Ukraine," read the statement.

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.

"The Ukrainian authorities, and government officials in New Zealand and London have been working hard to learn more details but little further is known about the circumstances of his death. Due to official legal processes in Ukraine, it will be some time before Andrew's remains are returned to New Zealand," added his parents, Dame Sue and professor Phil Bagshaw.

His family has called for an end to the "immoral" war and has urged the world to help Ukrainians in the fight against Russia.

Several British nationals have either gone missing or been captured in Ukraine over the last year. 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 after giving his notice to the British Army and joining an international unit of fighters just weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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

The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) has warned people against travelling to Ukraine as the war between Russia and Ukraine shows no sign of ending anytime soon. It says there is a "real risk to life."