A British volunteer soldier has died in Ukraine, making him the ninth Briton to be killed there since the conflict began last February.
Sam Newey, 22, served in a group of foreign volunteers called the Dark Angels which fought in some of the fiercest battles in the southern region, including in Kherson.
Confirming his death on Thursday, his brother Dan said he was an “exceptional man and a good soldier”. He posted on Facebook: “My little brother Sam was killed in action yesterday in eastern Ukraine. I cannot put into words how broken I feel. I also cannot emphasise how proud I am of my little brother. He’d just turned 21 when he decided to answer the call and travel to Ukraine to push back against Russian imperialism.
“Sam you gave your life for people you never knew and acted with courage, morality and honour. Not only are you my little brother, but you’re an exceptional man, a good soldier and one of the bravest people I ever had the privilege of knowing. Thank you so much for being part of my life for these 22 years. I love you always brother.”
Newey, who studied psychology at the University of Birmingham, left for Ukraine shortly after Russia invaded. He had no military experience but had been advised to train as a medic by Daniel Burke, the leader of the Dark Angels, to see if he could handle “the wounded, the dead and stress”.
His older brother had fought with Burke in Syria. In 2020 Newey and his father, Paul, were charged with terror offences after they were accused of helping Dan travel to Syria to fight with Burke and the Kurdish YPG, which fought alongside Britain against the Islamic State. The Crown Prosecution Service later dropped the charges.
Paul Newey, from Solihull, had been accused of funding terrorism because he had lent his son £150 through PayPal when his son was travelling to rejoin the YPG, although he denied knowing his son’s whereabouts or intentions. Newey was accused of helping his brother to secretly leave the UK.
‘Bloody battle’
Newey is believed to have died on Wednesday in a mortar strike, his father said, telling The Sun: “I knew Sam was taking a big risk fighting for what he believed in but it’s still a terrible shock and my feelings are still very raw.
“He was a brilliant, brave lad who passionately supported Ukraine’s cause and just upped and went out there to do what he could to stop the Russians.
“His brother told me what had happened but I don’t have much detail except that he was blown up by a mortar while fighting in the east of the country. I was told it was a very bloody battle and was hand-to-hand at times before the mortar landed.
An estimated 3,000 British volunteers were at one stage fighting on the Ukrainian side, according to Mamuka Mamulashvili, a Georgian military commander who oversaw many fighters on their way to the battlefield.
Nine Britons are known to have died. After Newey they include Andrew Bagshaw, a 48-year-old New Zealand resident, and Christopher Parry, 28, from Cornwall, who were killed attempting a humanitarian evacuation from the town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region in January.
The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.
