A British man has died while volunteering as a medic in Ukraine, his family has said.
Craig Mackintosh, from Thetford in Norfolk, died “in the line of duty” on 24 August, his sister Lorna Mackintosh said.
She has raised more than £5,000 on a GoFundMe page to bring her brother’s body back to the UK.
The Foreign Office said it was supporting the family.
Writing on the fundraising page, Mackintosh said: “Our brother bravely volunteered to go to [Ukraine] as a medic to help save lives in this war-torn country.
“This selfless man is currently stranded in a morgue in Ukraine and there is no help to get him home.”
She said it would cost about £4,000 to return his body to the UK.
“He gave his life to save others and he needs to come back home to have the service he deserves. A true hero’s service surrounded by his family and friends. Please, please help to bring our hero home.”
As of Thursday morning, the GoFundMe page had exceeded its target, raising £5,640.
Mackintosh, a 48-year-old landscape gardener, was killed by Russian troops while out on patrol when his squad was ambushed near the city of Kharkiv, according to reports.
He had two daughters and two stepdaughters, and served in the Territorial Army between the ages of 16 and 23. His hopes of becoming a full-time soldier were thwarted when he failed a medical examination, Mail Online reports.
Instead he became a landscape gardener and tree surgeon. He is understood to have first left for Ukraine on 24 March, returning to the UK in April, before going to Ukraine for a second time in August.
His sister told Mail Online: “He told us this would be his ‘last hurrah’ before coming back to Blighty to be a gardener in October.”
She added: “It had always been his dream to serve in the armed forces, and watching the conflict unfold and seeing the devastation, he decided he wanted to go out to help people.”
An FCDO spokesperson told the Press Association news agency: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities.”
