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  • ✇Euromaidan Press
  • British volunteer killed by Russian drone strike one month into Ukraine deployment
    A British father with no military experience was killed by a Russian drone strike just one month after volunteering to fight in Ukraine, according to his family. Alan Robert Williams, 35, from Moreton, Merseyside, died during his first mission in the Kharkiv Oblast on 2 July, six miles from the Russian border. He had signed his contract with a Ukrainian unit on 10 June after leaving for Ukraine on 7 May. His wife Stephanie Boyce-Williams, 40, confirmed his death following contact
     
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✇Euromaidan Press

British volunteer killed by Russian drone strike one month into Ukraine deployment

Par :Maria Tril
8 août 2025 à 09:18

british man in ukraine

A British father with no military experience was killed by a Russian drone strike just one month after volunteering to fight in Ukraine, according to his family.

Alan Robert Williams, 35, from Moreton, Merseyside, died during his first mission in the Kharkiv Oblast on 2 July, six miles from the Russian border. He had signed his contract with a Ukrainian unit on 10 June after leaving for Ukraine on 7 May.

His wife Stephanie Boyce-Williams, 40, confirmed his death following contact from his military unit. The Telegraph reported, citing its sources, that Williams was targeted by four Russian drones that dropped a mortar 20 feet from his team near the recaptured village of Lyptsi.

“His companions said he was immediately unresponsive and they had to leave his body while they fled the ambush,” according to reports from his unit.

Williams, a former site manager for a school, had lost his job earlier this year and was subsequently admitted to hospital after struggling with his mental health. After discharge, he decided to volunteer for Ukraine because he “couldn’t sit back and watch,” his wife said.

“We spent time trying to convince him not to go, telling him how it would affect us and how it would impact our daughter, and everything else back home,” Boyce-Williams told BBC Radio Merseyside. “But he was such a strong-willed man that once he got something in his mind there was no way you were changing it. He wanted to help civilians, especially the children.”

The couple’s 12-year-old daughter had also pleaded with her father not to leave for Ukraine.

A Foreign Office spokesman said they were “supporting the family of a British man who is missing in Ukraine, and are in contact with the local authorities.”

Williams had three children, including two older children from his wife’s previous relationships. Boyce-Williams, who works as a civil servant and call handler, said she remains “in limbo” awaiting official confirmation.

There are currently around 1,500 to 2,000 foreign soldiers actively fighting in Ukraine. Ukrainian government claimed earlier of over 20,000 volunteers; many foreigners serve in specialized units or affiliated brigades, with total foreign involvement typically estimated under 4,000.

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✇Euromaidan Press

From Finnish forests to Ukraine’s frontline: Volunteer Tapani joins International Legion to protect Europe’s future from war

Par :Olena Mukhina
24 juillet 2025 à 16:55

Finnish volunteer Tapani left behind a peaceful life to resist Russian aggression. He believes Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty need to be protected for peace in Europe. 

He joined the International Legion of Ukraine, a military unit within the Ukrainian Ground Forces, composed of foreign volunteers. Formed in 2022, the legion has attracted thousands of volunteers from over 50 countries, including the US, UK, and Canada, to fight against Russian aggression. 

Before the start of Russia’s all-out war, Tapani ran his own business in Finland, working in real estate and forestry consulting. After five years studying silviculture and working in France, he chose to leave it all behind as soon as his contract ended at home.

“If we don’t stop this war, it will come to Europe in five years at most,” he warns.

In July, US Army Europe and NATO Allied Forces Supreme Commander General Alexus Grynkewich warned that American and its European allies likely have only a year and a half to prepare for a potential global military conflict with China and Russia. Two dictatorships may launch a coordinated strike in 2027.

Despite joining the unit recently, Tapani has already served in tough parts of the front in Kharkiv Oblast.

“One drone dropped 200 meters from us. We had just left the building when it struck nearby,” he recalls.

Despite language barriers and frontline danger, he remains undeterred: “It’s not hard for me here, I have no problems. There’s always a way.”

Tapani’s greatest wish is peace: “I hope the war ends and I can go home. And that Ukraine remains independent and sovereign, that’s what matters!”

Earlier, Pavel Slavinsky, Chief of Staff of the 2nd International Legion, said that many Western veterans join Ukrainian Army to end unfinished wars from Afghanistan and Iraq. 

He did not disclose the exact number of volunteers in the Legion, saying “that such information is classified.” 

Western veterans join Ukrainian Army to end unfinished wars from Afghanistan and Iraq, chief of staff of International Legion reveals
You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. Become a patron or see other ways to support. 
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