British man killed in action while fighting alongside Ukrainian troops

A British man has been killed in action in Ukraine, the government has confirmed.

Ayrton Redfearn, 23, from Devon, died on 9 May while fighting in the eastern Donetsk region.

He had joined a specialist unit with Ukraine's military last year and was due to receive a bravery award for saving someone's life five days before his death, his mother, who gave her name as Natasha, said.

Sharing a tribute on Facebook, his mother said Mr Redfearn was "extremely happy" in Ukraine and made friends with people from around the world "all with the same mission of fighting for Ukraine".

He had been known by the call sign "Musso" and was made a team leader earlier this year.

His mother added: "Huge tributes have come in from Ukraine from Ayrton's commander and his brothers (comrades) about his exceptional service and being an outstanding soldier, whilst remaining the clever, funny, prankster whilst off duty, always able to boost morale, and 'he was 100% locked in and competent when it was time to go to work'."

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in Ukraine, and are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities."

The FCDO warns that British nationals fighting in Ukraine face a high risk of maltreatment.

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Its website says: "British nationals fighting in Ukraine have been killed or captured. British nationals undertaking humanitarian work have also been detained by Russian authorities.

"The risk to life, or of maltreatment, is high."

Early on in the war, Ukraine's authorities said more than 20,000 people from 52 countries came to Ukraine's aid.

Since then, the number of foreign fighters in Ukraine's military has been classified.

(c) Sky News 2026: British man killed in action while fighting alongside Ukrainian troops