Ukraine war: British national killed in action while volunteering as medic

Norfolk resident Craig Mackintosh killed ‘in the line of duty’ in Ukraine, his sister says

A British national has been killed while volunteering as a medic in Ukraine.

In a GoFundMe set up to bring his body home, 48-year-old Craig Mackintosh’s sister Lorna Mackintosh revealed that he had been killed in Ukraine on 24 August. Mackintosh is believed to have been shot dead when his squad was ambushed, it was reported.

Ms Lorna said that her brother, from Thetford, Norfolk, had lost his life “in the line of duty”.

“Please help us bring this war hero home,” Ms Mackintosh wrote.

“Our brother bravely volunteered to go to (Ukraine) as a medic to help save lives in this war-torn country.

“In the line of duty, helping others he lost his life. This selfless man is currently stranded in a morgue in Ukraine and there is no help to get him home.”

She said it would cost around £4,000 to bring his body back to the UK.

“We have spoken to an international funeral provider and it’s going to cost around £4,000 to have him repatriated back to the UK.

“He gave his life to save others and he needs to come back home to have the service he deserves. A true hero’s service surrounded by his family and friends. Please, please help to bring our hero home.”

As of Thursday morning, the GoFundMe had exceeded its target, raising £5,540.

Mackintosh was a landscape gardener from Norfolk who had volunteered to work with the Ukrainian forces. Reports said he was hit in the neck while trying to help an injured soldier in a vehicle hit by a tank shell near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Anastasia Avramenko, 13, stands in the rubble of her former classroom, in the same position where her desk sat before the Chernihiv School #21 was bombed on 3 March in Chernihiv (AP)

The Briton leaves two daughters and two stepdaughters behind.

Reports said Mackintosh nursed dreams of becoming a full-time soldier in the British army but because of a failed medical examination, he let that go. He did, however, serve in the Territorial Army between the ages of 16 and 23.

He later became a landscape gardener.

Mackintosh left the UK on 24 March and returned in April for a brief leave before going back to Ukarine in August.

His sister who started the GFundMe page said: “He told us this would be his ‘last hurrah’ before ‘coming back to Blighty to be a gardener’ in October.”

She added: “It had always been his dream to serve in the armed forces, and watching the conflict unfold and seeing the devastation, he decided he wanted to go out to help people.

“Craig was the kind of person who would see a difficult situation and try to make someone laugh. He was a real morale booster and very funny.”

She added: “He was well-known and well-loved and earned the respect of entire villages - all he wanted to do was to help people.”

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson told the PA news agency: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities.”

Meanwhile, Mackintosh’s other sister Claire accused the agencies of offering them “scraps of information”.

“We still don’t understand the full picture. We’ve been offered scraps of information from kind-hearted volunteers giving us what they know,” she said.