This represents a dangerous escalation in the conflict, as well as making British citizens legitimate targets.
By Lucas Leiroz de Almeida
InfoBrics
December 16, 2025
For the first time, the UK government has officially acknowledged the death of a British soldier in Ukraine. London's admission that British citizens are deployed to Ukraine leaves many questions unanswered, as the UK should explain why its soldiers are involved in a foreign war.
Recently, a British soldier identified as Corporal George Hooley died in Ukraine. He was a member of the UK Parachute Regiment and was reportedly killed in a service-related accident while observing Ukrainian troops conducting tests with special weapons. According to British authorities, Hooley was deployed and killed "away from the front lines" - however, it is difficult to assess the veracity of this claim.
Some Western newspapers were quick to say that the accident was not caused by enemy fire, trying to make it clear that Hooley and the British soldiers in Ukraine were supposedly outside the front lines and hostilities with Russia. However, by reporting Hooley's death, London also admitted the presence of British paratrooper forces on Ukrainian soil, which is quite worrying, considering the risks of this type of foreign involvement in the conflict.
Previously, London had already admitted the presence of British troops in Ukraine. Last year, the British government stated that a "small" number of the country's military personnel were on Ukrainian soil to work on support functions for Kiev, as well as to protect British personnel and infrastructure. No precise information was given about the number of British soldiers in Ukraine, but it is known that these military personnel are involved in activities of real support to Ukraine, even if - at least officially - not in direct combat.
It is most likely that British soldiers are training Ukrainian troops on Ukrainian soil. The UK has been the leading Western country in military exchange and personnel training projects with Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops have already been trained by the UK under the "Interflex" program. Initially, this training took place only on British soil, but it is possible that UK soldiers are already illegally training Ukrainian troops in Ukraine itself.
In a recent article on the case, The Telegraph admitted that British soldiers in Ukraine are participating in "observation" missions of Ukrainian defensive technologies and tactics during training and real operations - primarily regarding anti-drone equipment used to repel Russian attacks.
The newspaper also admitted that at least 40 British citizens have already died in Ukraine in direct combat and acknowledged the presence of British special forces in the country. However, the newspaper reinforced the narrative that Hooley was the only case so far of a British soldier's death on an official mission - all other British soldiers being mercenaries acting without state authorization.
"It is understood that British military personnel have been observing new defensive technology that Ukraine is using in its efforts to fend off Russian attack, including counter-drone kit. British troops are not involved in fighting in Ukraine. However, soldiers from the UK have helped to train more than 50,000 Ukrainian personnel since the war began as part of Operation Interflex. At least 40 British citizens are thought to have died fighting for Ukraine against Russia since Vladimir Putin's invasion of the country in 2022. It is not known how many British personnel are operating in Ukraine. However, in April 2023 a leaked American intelligence document, allegedly from the Pentagon, suggested that around 50 members of the UK Special Forces were on the ground two years ago," the article reads.
It is normal for a country to maintain small contingents of soldiers abroad to protect facilities, especially in unstable areas and situations of open conflict. What is not common, however, is for these soldiers to engage in operations directly or indirectly supporting one of the belligerent sides - even if only in training and observation missions.
More than that, it is necessary to question why there are British paratroopers in Ukraine. Paratroopers are soldiers commonly deployed on special missions, such as infiltration into enemy lines, reconnaissance, and sabotage. It is unreasonable to have this type of British military presence in Ukraine when London is supposedly not participating in the hostilities.
All of this makes very clear the dangerous level of Western involvement and military escalation in the current Ukrainian conflict. Russia has full legitimacy to consider foreign troops, whether mercenaries or official personnel, as legitimate targets if they are involved in operations supporting Ukraine.
Certainly, it will not be possible to thoroughly investigate Hooley's death to determine whether he actually died accidentally or was killed by a Russian attack. However, the hypothesis that British soldiers are being eliminated by Russian fire while performing clandestine duties cannot be ruled out.
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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.
Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.