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Two Britons missing in Ukraine since the beginning of this month were killed while attempting a “humanitarian evacuation” from a war-ravaged town in the east, one of the men’s families confirmed on Tuesday.
Chris Parry, 28, and Andrew Bagshaw, 48, died while undertaking voluntary work in Soledar, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, Parry’s family said in a statement released by Britain’s Foreign Office.
Bagshaw is also a New Zealand citizen, according to reports, with the country’s foreign ministry saying earlier this month it was “working with relevant agencies in the UK to confirm the latest situation”.
Concern had grown about their fates after the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which helped captured Soledar from Ukrainian forces recently, said on January 11 that one of the missing men’s bodies had been found there.
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin had also published online photographs of passports that appeared to belong to Parry and Bagshaw, which he claimed were found with the corpse.
“It is with great sadness we have to announce that our beloved Chrissy has been killed along with his colleague Andrew Bagshaw whilst attempting a humanitarian evacuation from Soledar,” the family’s statement said.
“His selfless determination in helping the old, young and disadvantaged there has made us and his larger family extremely proud,” it added, describing him as “a caring son, fantastic brother, a best friend to so many”.
The family noted he had previously worked as a software engineer and loved rock climbing, cycling, running and skydiving, and had always wanted to travel the world.
“He found himself drawn to Ukraine in March in its darkest hour at the start of the Russian invasion and helped those most in need, saving over 400 lives plus many abandoned animals,” the family added.
“It is impossible to put into words how much he will be missed but he will forever be in our hearts.”
