Notorious Russian mercenary group claims it has found body of missing British aid worker in Ukraine

12 January 2023, 00:22

Russian forces in Ukraine says they have found the body of one of the British men missing in Ukraine.

Aid workers Chris Parry, 28, and Andrew Bagshaw, 48, both went missing in eastern Ukraine last week.

It is unclear which of the two men the notorious Wagner Group say it has found but it claimed documents belonging to both Britons had been found on his body.

A photo posted alongside the statement seemed to show passports with the names of Andrew Bagshaw and Christopher Parry.

The Foreign Office said: "We are supporting the families of two British men who have gone missing in Ukraine. We are aware of recent reports and are in touch with the Ukrainian authorities."

Mr Parry, 28, and Mr Bagshaw, 48, were last seen on Friday heading to the town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region of the country, where heavy fighting is taking place, and contact with them was lost.

Parents of both men have said how concerned they were about their sons.

Mr Parry's parents said on Wednesday: "We are very worried and concerned about the health and whereabouts of Chris right now.

"He is an extraordinary person who is compassionate and caring and would not be dissuaded from his work in Ukraine liberating elderly and disabled people, which we are very proud of.

"We, his family and partner, all love him very much and would be grateful if our privacy could be respected at this difficult time."

Mr Bagshaw, who lived in New Zealand, was in Ukraine help deliver humanitarian aid, according to reports.

A statement on behalf of his parents released to the press said: "Andrew is a very intelligent, independently minded person, who went there as a volunteer to assist the people of Ukraine, believing it to be the morally right thing to do.

"Andrew's parents love him dearly and are immensely proud of all the work he has been doing delivering food and medicines and assisting elderly people move from near the battlefront of the war."

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Brad Hendrickson, a delivery driver turned evacuation volunteer in Ukraine, said he saw Mr Bagshaw two days before he went missing.

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"I know the road - I was on there, the same one, a day or two prior - it's hard to hear that he was on a road that obviously, in hindsight, would have been far better to see him not going toward," he said.

Mr Parry, who was reportedly born in Truro, Cornwall, but later moved to Cheltenham, had previously spoken of evacuating people from the front line.

He told Sky News last year: "Sometimes, when you see some pretty terrible things it does stay with you."

Mr Parry said his parents were "proud (but) very concerned" when he told them of his plans to go to Ukraine.

Previously, British aid worker Paul Urey died while being held by pro-Russian separatists in the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic.

His mother Linda called the rebel militia "murderers" as the separatists claimed he had died of illness and stress.

The Wagner Group is notorious for its role in conflicts in Syria and Africa, and has been prominent in the invasion of Ukraine. Serious allegations about its mercenaries' crimes have been raised in recent years.

It is led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, nicknamed "Putin's chef" for his other business's role in hosting dinner events for the Russian leader.

Prigozhin has recruited convicts to fight in the war and is thought to be embroiled in rivalries with other military figures in the Russian defence ecosystem.