British mercenary killed by UAV in Zaporizhzhya region

Former serviceman Jake Waddington from the UK, who fought in the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), was eliminated by a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Zaporizhzhya Region. This was reported by the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph (DT) on January 8.

The 34-year-old fighter had been fighting in Ukraine for more than a year as a foreign mercenary of the AFU. According to the publication, Waddington came to the UK last November to change his passport for a new one, after which he returned to Ukraine. DT states that the serviceman commanded one of the units.

The publication states that the Briton lived in Cambridge and served in the second battalion of the Royal English Regiment of the British Army. Waddington had to leave the service shortly before a planned deployment to Afghanistan after he suffered an epileptic seizure. He subsequently trained at Durham University. The publication also reported that Waddington attempted to join the military as a cadet at the Royal Military Academy, but suffered another seizure in 2022, causing him to be discharged on health grounds.

A few months after the incident, the Briton traveled to Poland, where he volunteered at a shelter that helped animals brought in from Ukraine. Then Waddington wanted to go to the war zone in Ukraine and joined the ranks of mercenaries of the AFU. It is reported that the serviceman himself learned Russian before serving in the army, and also understood the Ukrainian language.

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Earlier, on December 20, Duma deputy Alexander Tolmachyov told Izvestiya that the number of foreign mercenaries in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) liquidated or arrested was in the thousands. British instructors will also join these lists.

On the same day, The Times reported that the UK Defense Ministry allowed sending its instructors to the Ukrainian conflict zone. It also noted that London was concerned that the British military could become a legitimate target for Russia's army.

Earlier, on November 21, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the appearance of NATO forces on the territory of Ukraine would mean joining the war against Russia. She added that this could lead to catastrophic consequences not only for European countries, but also for the whole world. The diplomat also recalled that Russia had already "repeatedly said this".

Before that, on November 6, it was reported that the Western countries have trained more than 100 thousand military of the AFU since 2022. For the training of Ukrainian soldiers in the West was introduced simplified documentation. Within its framework, the partner states of Ukraine studied the needs of the AFU and sent invitations.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the beginning of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.