A member of the UK armed forces has tragically died in a “road traffic incident” in Ukraine over the weekend, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed as they extend “thoughts and our sympathies” with their loved ones
A member of the UK armed forces has been killed in a crash in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
In a short statement posted on X, the MoD said the person died in a road traffic incident on Saturday (September 12) while they were in Ukraine. No details were given on the exact location of the crash at this time.
The family of the deceased has been informed of the tragedy, according to the MoD, and has requested a period of grace before more details are released. It is understood the incident was not as a result of hostile action.
The MoD statement said: “It is with deep regret that we must announce that a member of the UK Armed Forces died in a road traffic incident in Ukraine on Saturday, September 12.
“The family have been informed and have requested a period of grace before further details are released. Our thoughts and our sympathies are with the individual’s loved ones at this difficult time.”
The small number of British personnel in the country provide security to diplomats and support the armed forces of Ukraine.
The tragedy in Ukraine comes as former PM Boris Johnson was in Kyiv when a train he was in was evacuated following a drone attack.
The attack hit a train at Yahodyn station, on the Polish border, shortly after the train carrying the former prime minister had left ahead of schedule. Johnson had been returning from a major conference in Kyiv along with former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt and a number of European security advisers.
According to a translation from Ukrainian, rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia said in a post on Telegram it was “quite possible” that the drone had been aimed at Johnson’s train.
The company said the train “had departed the station earlier than scheduled due to real-time adjustments to train timetables necessitated by the constant threat of Russian strikes”.
It added that former CIA director David Petraeus had been on a different train that was still at the station when the drone struck. No casualties have been reported.
In the wake of the attack, Johnson praised Ukrzaliznytsia staff and passengers as “absolutely heroic” and called for more support for Ukraine.
He said: “I don’t know what warped logic drove (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning.
“What we can say for sure is that this is the kind of random and senseless attack Ukrainians are enduring every day – even on civilian railways.”