“A British soldier died in Ukraine this morning. This individual was injured in an accident while observing Ukrainian forces test new weapons in an area far from the front lines,” the UK Ministry of Defense announced on 9/12.

British officials did not disclose information regarding the accident's location, the weapon type tested, or the soldier's identity and unit. UK defense sources stated this marks the first regular British soldier to die in Ukraine.

Ukraine has not commented on the information.

British soldiers training at St Mawgan base on 17/10. *Photo: UK Ministry of Defense*

The UK previously stated that a small number of its soldiers were present in Ukraine, performing security duties for diplomatic missions and supporting the local military, but did not disclose specific figures.

At least 40 British citizens have died in combat in Ukraine since the conflict erupted in 2/2022. These individuals joined volunteer forces composed of foreign nationals within the Ukrainian military, and were not regular soldiers of the British army.

A former British soldier was killed in an area far from the front lines in 2023. British officials stated last year that the perpetrator was a Ukrainian army volunteer.

US media in 4/2023 published documents, allegedly from the Pentagon, which stated that around 50 British special forces personnel had been present in Ukraine since 2021. The UK Ministry of Defense later denied the information, while Ukraine called it a fake document.

Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, Skynews, Telegraph)