A British veteran has been killed while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against the Russian invasion, his family has confirmed.
Simon Lingard “died fighting for what he believed in” on Nov. 7, his family said.
The family set up a fundraising page asking for support to give him “the greatest well deserved send-off.”
Writing on the GoFundMe page, they said: “As most people are aware my dad, Simon Lingard (Grimmy) sadly lost his life in Ukraine on Monday Nov. 7.
“My dad was an inspiration to all who knew him, a real life hero who died fighting for what he believed in. He was loved and adored by so many, a true representation of what a soldier should be.”
They described being “absolutely heartbroken” at their loss.
The message added: “The Ukrainian military have offered to bring him home to England but we need help to show him the respect and adoration he deserves by giving him THE greatest well deserved send-off.”
According to British media reports, Lingard died while defending the city of Bakhmut from Russian attacks.
Britons Helping Ukraine
A number of British veterans and Britons without combat experience have travelled to Ukraine to join the resistance against the Russian invasion. A small number of serving British personnel are also believed to have gone absent without leave to travel to the war-torn country.In April, British veteran Scott Sibley was reportedly killed in Ukraine while fighting against Russian forces.
In June, ex-British soldier Jordan Gatley, who had left the British Army in March and travelled to Ukraine, was shot dead in the city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine.
In September, five British nationals held by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine returned to the UK after being released as part of a prisoner swap.
Four of those—Aiden Aslin, John Harding, Andrew Hill, and Shaun Pinner—had been captured while fighting for the Ukrainian armed forces.
The other—Dylan Healy—had been volunteering in Ukraine as an aid worker.
Another British aid work—Paul Urey—reportedly died in detention in July after being captured by pro-Russian separatists.
The Ukrainian government said in early September that Urey’s body, which had been returned, had “signs of possible unspeakable torture.”
