An 18-year-old British fighter has been killed on his first mission while fighting with the Ukrainian military in Russia’s Donbass, The Sun has reported. James Wilton was a member of the Ukrainian International Legion – a unit of foreign fighters that Moscow considers mercenaries.
Ukraine has been recruiting foreign fighters since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022, as its armed forces struggle with desertion and battlefield losses. Despite a massive mobilization campaign, lowering the conscription age, and toughening penalties for draft evasion, Kiev’s army has been facing personnel shortages amid heavy losses due to Russia’s advances on the front line.
Wilton, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, was killed just minutes into his first mission on the eastern front after being targeted by three Russian drones in an open field, his friend Jason, a US “volunteer fighter” who was with him at the time, told the outlet. The incident took place in July but has gone unreported until now.
The young recruit had flown from Manchester to Ukraine four months prior to that aged only 17 to join Ukraine’s International Legion, despite having no previous military experience, the outlet wrote on Sunday.
Wilton was reportedly tasked with delivering supplies to the front line alongside a small team of foreign fighters, but the mission quickly turned into a nightmare when three Russian drones detected the group as they crossed an open field without cover.
“We had heavy, 60-kilo packs. When we reached halfway across the field he suddenly stopped,” Wilton’s friend told the British tabloid.
