A BRITISH military volunteer has been killed in Ukraine after a year fighting Vladimir Putin’s forces on the frontline.
Jay Morais, from Bristol, took part in some of the bloodiest battles in the east of the war-torn country, including fighting in the besieged city of Bakhmut.
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But Ukraine‘s International Legion on Tuesday confirmed the 52-year-old died in hospital in Kharkiv in February, reports The Telegraph.
A spokesman for the unit, set up by Volodymyr Zelensky last year, said: “Sadly, Jay Morais has died in the line of duty.”
Mr Morais briefly spoke to the newspaper last year about his time fighting in Severodonetsk, Donbas, in which several of his comrades were killed or hurt.
Ukraine fought tooth and nail to keep hold of the city, but it eventually fell to Russian forces after around four months of battle last year.
Mr Morais told how during the battle, he had to “run for my bloody life” as he was stalked by a Russian tank.
He said he had gone to Ukraine to stop Russia “doing what it likes”.
During his time in Ukraine, he met humanitarian volunteer Lidiya Martynova and they became engaged.
The 34-year-old said Mr Morais was planning to “start a new life” in Ukraine once the war was over.
She told the outlet: “Jay was a very special guy, beautiful and crazy at the same time.
“He was a professional soldier, but he would always say that it wasn’t important how many enemies he’d killed, but how many people he’d saved.”
It is reported Mr Morais previously served in Kosovo and the Ivory Coast in the French Foreign Legion, before returning to Britain in 2007.
Mr Morais’ cause of death has not been confirmed, but it is understood he had been fighting in Bakhmut.
Horrifying scenes in the battered city have been described as a “meat grinder” as Ukrainians fiercely try to defend their land.
It is understood Russia has suffered more than 100,000 casualties in the bloody battle, with Zelensky also losing a lot of troops.
The Sun has approached the Foreign Office for comment.
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Katie Davis
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