A Brit ex-paratrooper is undergoing major brain surgery in Ukraine after being injured in a major tank battle on Monday which killed another British volunteer fighter.
The unnamed casualty was airlifted to a hospital in the west of Ukraine and it has been reported he is in critical condition.
Simon Lingard, a fellow Parachute Regiment veteran, was sadly killed and another British volunteer was injured as their unit engaged a column of Russian tanks near Bakhmut in the east.
Many fear Russian agents will attempt to kill the hospitalised man and so Ukrainian authorities have enforced strict security measures around the hospital.
The man suffered a severe head wound after being hit by Russian shell fire.
Lingard had completed two tours of Afghanistan during his time in the British Army as a heavy weapons specialist.
The dad of two from Blackburn, who was known to his friends as Grimmy, is believed to be the third Briton to die in the conflict so far.
Fellow veterans Scott Sibley, 36, and Jordan Gatley, 24, were killed in April and June respectively.
In a heartbreaking post, his son Jackson said: “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.
“I can’t put into words how much he is (and will be) missed, but I’m comforted to know that this happened doing what he loved and surrounded by friends. I love you, dad, I’m so proud of you.”
Jackson said, writing on a Go Fund Me, the Ukrainian Military have offered to bring him home but "we need help to show him the respect and adoration he deserves by giving him the greatest well-deserved send-off."
The family have so far raised £29,200 at the time of writing.
Mickii Edwards, a friend of Lingard’s, told the Daily Mail he died as a result of shrapnel wounds sustained after a Russian drone spotted him crossing a field.
Kierren Stokes, a former soldier who served alongside Mr Lingard in the British army, wrote on Facebook : “Absolutely gutted to be posting this, Si was an awesome soldier with a great, sometimes questionable sense of humour.
“After the Russian invasion of Ukraine he did not hesitate to go and fight on their behalf and I’m sure his expertise, experience and mentoring capabilities have helped the Ukrainian army push the Russians back to their current point,” he said.
