The family of an Edinburgh soldier have shared the devastating news that their son has been shot and killed in the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk.
Jordan Gateley, left the British army in March of this year in order to continue his development in other areas of his profession.
His father, Dean, described his son as a “hero” and added that he was “loved” by both his comrades as well as all those that knew him.
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The Foreign Office has said it is "supporting the family of a British man who has died in Ukraine", the BBC reports.
On Facebook, the father of the fallen soldier posted: “I didn’t think that I'd ever use social media in this way but Sally, Adam and I would like to share some family news with all our friends, but there are just too many people to contact.
“Yesterday, Friday June 10, we received the devastating news that our son, Jordan, has been shot and killed in the city of Severodonetsk, Ukraine.
“Jordan left the British Army in March this year to continue his career as a soldier in other areas.
“The war against Europe had begun so , after careful consideration, he went to the Ukraine to help.
“We have had several messages from his team out there telling us of his wealth of knowledge, his skills as a soldier and his love of his job.
“His team say they all loved him, as did we, and he made a massive difference to many peoples lives, not only soldiering, but also by training the Ukrainian forces.
“Jordan and his team were so proud of the work they were doing and he often told me that the missions they were going on were dangerous, but necessary.
“He loved his job and we are so proud of him. He truly was a hero and will forever be in our hearts.”
Severodonetsk has seen extremely intense fighting with the Russia invasion attempting to capture regions and cities in the East of Ukraine.
The BBC say that they understand that Mr Gatley served in the British armed forces as a rifleman with the Edinburgh-based third battalion of The Rifles and was discharged from the forces in March before travelling to Ukraine.
Scenes of fighting have been commonplace in Severodonetsk for the last few months with Russia using heavy artillery to nullify Ukrainian forces in the region.
Russia is attempting to capture the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in the east of the country in order to control the industrial apparatus that exists in the Donbas.
The UK’s foreign office has recommended advice that states that individuals considering travelling to Ukraine should refrain from doing so.
The Ministry of Defence also warned that those travelling to region to fight Russia may also be committing a criminal offence and could face prosecution.
In March, the head of the British armed forces told the BBC that UK nationals should not go to Ukraine to fight and should find other means to assist.
Adm Sir Tony Radakin said the "sound of gunfire" was not "something you want to rush to".
