A British man from Gunnislake, Cornwall was killed while fighting for Kiev less than two months after turning 22, his family told the media over the weekend.
Callum Tindal-Draper died while defending an observation post at an undisclosed location. He reportedly left his young fiancée this summer to join the Ukrainian International Legion, foreigners fighting for Kiev and who Russia considers to be mercenaries.
He told his family that the decision was “the best thing that ever happened” to him and that he found who he was “meant to be” in Ukraine, his mother Caroline Tindal told the BBC.
According to an obituary posted by his alma mater, the Military and Protective Services Academy of the Duchy College in Stoke Climsland, Cornwall, Tindal-Draper was proud of his family’s history of military service and had a strong sense of duty. He worked for the NHS, the British national healthcare system, for some time after completing his studies, it added.
The young man, whose call sign was reportedly ‘Dove’, was killed on November 5. His family said he had intended to move to Ukraine permanently and that they were considering burying him there.
The British Foreign Office told the media: “We are aware that a British national has reportedly died in Ukraine and stand ready to assist the family in the UK.”
The Ukrainian government is currently struggling to replenish troops lost in the conflict with Russia, as the flow of volunteer fighters had long dwindled. The authorities are considering lowering the mandatory conscription age from 25, arguing that such a move would help draft officers meet their quota despite widespread avoidance.
Kiev has repeatedly rejected any compromise with Moscow. Russia says Ukrainians are being used as ‘cannon fodder’ in a Western proxy war and that the country’s leader Vladimir Zelensky is complicit in the slaughter, as he seeks to preserve his personal power. British Defense Secretary John Healey has said in a recent post on X that the UK remains committed to supporting Kiev “for as long as it takes” to prevail.