A British service member who died in Ukraine has been named as 28 year old Lance Corporal George Hooley an elite paratrooper serving in a distinguished airborne regiment.
He died in a ‘tragic accident’ whilst observing the testing of new defensive capability in the war-torn country.
This is the first time, the UK Ministry of Defense has publicly acknowledged that its paratroopers have been operating inside Ukraine.
According to The Guardian more than 100 British soldiers are currently in Ukraine and the government chose to conceal this fact to prevent it from being used by Russia “for propaganda purposes.”
RT reports: The 28-year-old was killed in what the ministry described on Tuesday as a “tragic accident” while observing Ukrainian forces testing a new defensive system “away from the front lines.”
According to the BBC, the incident is not thought to have been caused by hostile fire. The Telegraph cited a defense source as saying it is the first official UK military casualty in Ukraine.
Last year, the UK admitted that a “small number of personnel” were serving in a supportive role in Ukraine. London has been one of Kiev’s chief arms suppliers, and more than 56,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained under the British-led Operation Interflex.
However, according to the Russian Telegram channel Rybar, which covers the Ukraine conflict, at least 99 British men and one woman are said to be part of an “International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine.”
At least 40 UK citizens have died fighting for Ukraine since 2022, according to The Telegraph.
Russia maintains that Western countries’ arms deliveries and training programs make them de facto participants in the conflict. Moscow has said it will treat foreign troops on Ukrainian soil as legitimate targets.