A 23-year-old British man, Ayrton Redfearn, was killed in action in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. He died on 9 May.

From Devon, Mr Redfearn had joined a specialist unit supporting the Ukrainian army in 2025, his mother, Natasha, told the BBC, adding she “lived in fear of the police coming to my door with bad news”.

“This fear became reality on the evening of 11 May, and the world of myself, and Ayrton’s 10-year-old brother, then fell apart,” she said.

Mr Redfearn was a Torquay Air Cadet as a child, joining the RAF at 17 before travelling overseas.

His mother stated: “We are trying to have just 1 per cent of the strength, bravery and courage of Ayrton, and if we can do this, it will help us to eventually come to terms with our life without him.

“I am very grateful for all the tributes, messages and support from those who knew Ayrton and from strangers.”

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in Ukraine, and are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities.”

The FCDO warns British nationals fighting in Ukraine face a high risk of maltreatment.

Its website states: “British nationals fighting in Ukraine have been killed or captured. British nationals undertaking humanitarian work have also been detained by Russian authorities. The risk to life, or of maltreatment, is high.”