Search for:
kralbetz.com1xbit güncelTipobet365Anadolu Casino GirişMariobet GirişSupertotobet mobil girişBetistbahis.comSahabetTarafbetMatadorbethack forumBetturkeyXumabet GirişrestbetbetpasGonebetBetticketTrendbetistanbulbahisbetixirtwinplaymegaparifixbetzbahisalobetaspercasino1winorisbetbetkom1xbet giriş1xbetdeneme bonusu veren sitelercasino sitelericasino sitelerideneme bonusudeneme bonusu veren siteler
Tributes paid to ‘brave’ Briton, 22, killed while fighting in Ukraine | UK News

Tributes have been paid to a “brave” 22-year-old British man who was killed while fighting in Ukraine. 

Callum Tindal-Draper, from Gunnislake, Cornwall, died while serving with the foreign volunteer platoon in the country’s struggle against Russia.

It is believed he was defending an observation point when he was killed on 5 November.

Callum Tindal-Draper. Pic: Handout
Image:
Callum Tindal-Draper. Pic: Handout

Callum’s mother Caroline Tindal said in a post on Facebook that “he fought till he could no longer hold them off any more”.

“His platoon are calling him a ‘hero’ and ‘as brave as they come’,” she said.

“22 is a young age. But you lived and died following your heart, soul and morals.

“May you rest in peace and help watch over those who have passed.”

Mr Tindal-Draper was a former student of Duchy College, in Stoke Climsland, Cornwall.

In a tribute on Facebook, the college’s Military and Protective Services Academy said he was a “model student” with a “strong moral compass”.

“He was a passionate, articulate and bright student, who was keen to learn,” the post said.

Read more from Sky News:
At least 26 killed in Pakistan train station bombing
British girl in hospital after paraglider hits her during meal
Dozens of black Americans receive racist texts

“He was very proud of his family history in the services,” the post added.

“He was well-liked and respected by his peers, and was not one to shy away from causes he believed in and was instrumental in collecting the three minibus loads of humanitarian equipment for civilians that the learners gathered when the war in Ukraine initially kicked off.”

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

The post said Mr Tindal-Draper worked for the NHS after finishing the course.

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are aware that a British national has reportedly died in Ukraine and stand ready to assist the family in the UK.”

Shaun Pinner: Briton released in Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap pictured with his family as all five return to UK | World News

Five Britons released from Russian detention in Ukraine after a prisoner swap have arrived back “safely” in the UK.

One of the men, Sean Pinner, has been pictured with his family after they were reunited.

“If you thought COVID highlighted the importance of family, this is even bigger,” his sister, Cassandra, told Sky News.

Aiden Aslin, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill have been identified by the foreign and commonwealth office as the other Britons.

Russia ‘likely to struggle’ to mobilise 300,000 troops – Ukraine war latest

“We know that all are back safely in the UK now and looking forward to normality with their families after this horrific ordeal,” Presidium Network said.

The non-profit organisation added: “Most of the families have asked for privacy while they normalise back in the UK.”

Prior to their release, four of the men featured in video clips posted online or on Russian state TV.

On their flight home, Mr Aslin and Mr Pinner recorded a message, thanking those who had worked to free them.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

British POWs speak after release

“We’re now out of the danger zone and on our way home to our families,” said Mr Aslin.

“By the skin of our teeth,” Mr Pinner, who is from Bedfordshire, added.

Threatened to death by firing squad

In April, both men were captured by Russian forces who accused them of being mercenaries.

As a result, they appeared in court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, a breakaway region in eastern Ukraine, and were threatened with death by firing squad.

At the time, Mr Pinner’s family stressed that he was “not a volunteer nor a mercenary, but officially serving with the Ukrainian army”.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Moroccan Saaudun Brahim were sentenced to death in April

In footage broadcast on Russian state TV in April, Mr Pinner said he had been fighting in the besieged port city of Mariupol for five to six weeks.

In the months before he appeared in court, he told Sky News that he was on his fourth tour of duty in Ukraine after serving in the British Army for nine years.

The 48-year-old has been living in the country since 2018 and has a Ukrainian wife.

After the news broke that the Britons would be returning to the UK, Prime Minister Liz Truss said she “hugely welcomed” the move, adding it would end “months of uncertainty and suffering for them and their families”.

Shaun Pinner (centre) and Aiden Aslin (right). John Harding has his thumb up
Image:
Shaun Pinner (centre) and Aiden Aslin (right). John Harding has his thumb up

Who else was released?

Almost 300 people were released in the prisoner swap, many of them from the Ukrainian Azov regiment, which gained fame for its defence of the final stronghold in Mariupol.

John Harding was among the small group of soldiers who were holed up inside the Azovstal steelworks in the southeastern city.

Ten other foreigners have been released to Saudi Arabia before they return home, including Moroccan Brahim Saadoun, Americans Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, a Croatian, and a Swedish national.

Five British POWs have been freed after being held by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine. Pic: SPA - Saudi Press Agency
Image:
Almost 300 people were freed after being held by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine. Pic: SPA – Saudi Press Agency

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “We remember all our people and try to save every Ukrainian.

“This is the meaning of Ukraine, our essence, this is what distinguishes us from the enemy.”

The exchange took place unexpectedly, coming as Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons.

It was brokered with help from Turkey and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has close ties with Mr Putin.