British soldier ‘is killed fighting on frontline in Ukraine’: Family of ex serviceman who left Army in March say he was shot dead on battlefield in Severodonetsk
- Jordan Gatley, who left the British Army in March, was reportedly killed on Friday
- Dean Gatley, from Derbyshire, said the former soldier travelled to Ukraine after Vladimir Putin ordered his soldiers into Ukraine of February 24
- Dean posted an emotional tribute on Facebook hailing Jordan a ‘hero’
- Jordan becomes the second British fighter to have been killed in Ukraine after volunteer 36-year-old Scott Sibley was killed fighting Russian troops in April
A former British soldier was killed on Friday fighting to defend Ukraine from the on-going Russian invasion, his family has said.
Jordan Gatley, who left the British Army in March, was reportedly killed in the eastern city of Severodonetsk where the fiercest fighting of the war so far is taking place.
Dean Gatley, from Derbyshire, said the ‘hero’ former soldier travelled to Ukraine after Vladimir Putin ordered his soldiers into Ukraine of February 24.
In an emotional tribute confirming the news, Dean wrote on Facebook: ‘I didn’t think that I’d ever use social media in this way but Sally, Adam and I would like to share some family news with all our friends, but there are just too many people to contact.
‘Yesterday (10/06/22) we received the devastating news that our son, Jordan, has been shot and killed in the city of Severodonetsk, Ukraine,’ he wrote, while posting pictures of Jordan as a child and in his military uniform.
Explaining the circumstances, Dean continued: ‘Jordan left the British Army in March this year to continue his career as a soldier in other areas. The war against Europe had begun so, after careful consideration, he went to the Ukraine to help.
Jordan Gatley (left and right), who left the British Army in March, was reportedly killed in the eastern city of Severodonetsk where the fiercest fighting of the war so far is taking place. Dean Gatley (pictured right with Jordan), from Derbyshire, said the former soldier travelled to Ukraine after Vladimir Putin ordered his soldiers into Ukraine of February 24
‘We have had several messages from his team out there telling us of his wealth of knowledge, his skills as a soldier and his love of his job. His team say they all loved him, as did we, and he made a massive difference to many peoples lives, not only soldiering, but also by training the Ukrainian forces,’ he said.
Dean wrote that Jordan and his unit in Ukraine were ‘so proud’ of what they were doing in the embattled country, and that the missions they were undertaking were ‘dangerous, but necessary.’
‘He loved his job and we are so proud of him. He truly was a hero and will forever be in our hearts,’ he said.
Jordan Gatley becomes the second British fighter to have been killed in Ukraine after 36-year-old volunteer soldier Scott Sibley was killed fighting Russian troops in April.
The father was a veteran of the British armed forces who served in the Commando Logistic Support Squadron in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, UK nationals Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were sentenced to death on Thursday in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) breakaway region of Ukraine.
Jordan Gatley was killed fighting in Ukraine’s eastern city of Severodonetsk, his family said. The battle for the city has seen some of the fiercest fighting of the war so far
Jordan Gatley becomes the second British fighter to have been killed in Ukraine after volunteer soldier 36-year-old Scott Sibley (pictured) was killed fighting Russian troops in April
The tragic news comes as Russian troops continued today to push for control of the key industrial city of Severodonetsk.
Ukraine’s general staff said Russia was conducting ‘unsuccessful’ assaults on the city, where about 800 civilians have taken refuge in the Azot chemical plant’s bunkers, according to the tycoon whose company owns the facility.
Gaiday said Saturday that the Azot plant had been ‘shelled intensely for hours’ and the city had been ‘ruined’ by Russian forces.
‘This is their tactics – people are not needed, the infrastructure is not needed, houses are not needed, everything should be simply ruined,’ he said.
The number of civilian victims would be ‘enormous and terrible’, he added.
Gaiday said Ukrainian fighters in Severodonetsk were winning street battles, but that Russian artillery would then destroy the buildings those fighters were using for cover – ‘storey by storey’.
In Donetsk, two civilian deaths and 11 injuries were reported across the region on Saturday, its governor said.
According to the area’s military administration, ‘all major cities in the free territory’ of Donetsk ‘have been without electricity’ since Saturday.
In the south, a man died in Odessa after coming into contact with an explosive object while swimming at a beach with his wife and son, the regional Ukrainian command said. Visiting beaches there is currently banned due to the risks of mines.
For residents in nearby Mykolaiv, every day brings a brush with death.
Igor Karputov, 31, recalled how his neighbourhood was hit last week, shaking his apartment, and how he helped a bleeding man to an ambulance.
‘Then I went to another place which had been hit, where emergency services were already taking care of someone,’ he told AFP.
‘But they were dead. And the one I had helped died in an ambulance.’
Mykolaiv regional governor Vitaliy Kim stressed the urgent need for international military assistance.
‘Russia’s army is more powerful, they have a lot of artillery and ammo… and we are out of ammo,’ he said Saturday.
On Sunday, the southern command said the Ukrainian Air Force had destroyed ammunition depots and equipment in three air strikes in the last 24 hours, without naming their locations.
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