British volunteer, 22, is killed fighting in Ukraine: Brother pays tribute to ‘exceptional man and a good soldier’

A British volunteer has been killed in action while fighting in Ukraine, his brother has announced.

Sam Newey left for Ukraine at the start of the Russian invasion, and had fought on several frontlines during his service in the war-torn country.

The 22-year-old was killed in action in Eastern Ukraine yesterday, his bother Dan Newey said as he paid tribute to him, calling him an ‘exceptional man and a good soldier’.

‘I cannot put into words how broken I feel,’ Dan wrote. ‘I also cannot emphasise how proud I am of my little brother.

Sam – who had no previous military experience – had been a member of a group of international volunteers known as the Dark Angels.

Originally from Birmingham, Sam made the decision to go and fight in Ukraine as Vladimir Putin’s men marched on the country in February 2022.

Paying tribute to his brother, Dan wrote: ‘He’d just turned 21 when he decided to answer the call and travel to Ukraine to push back against Russian Imperialism.

‘Sam you gave your life for people you never knew and acted with courage, morality and honour.

‘Not only are you my little brother, but you’re an exceptional man, a good soldier and one of the bravest people I ever had the privilege of knowing. Thank you so much for being part of my life for these 22 years. I love you always brother.’

As the news was announced, tributes poured out for Sam across social media, hailing him as a ‘hero’.

In 2020, Sam and his father Paul were charged with terror offences after they were accused of supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria when they sent Dan money while he was fighting against Isis in Syria.

Dan, an ex-paratrooper, had been fighting with the People’s Protection Units (YPG) – Syrian Kurdish group – between late 2017 and June 2018 and was sent money by his family to ‘assist’ him.

The YPG is the principal component of the Syrian Democratic Forces – a Western ally against IS. But states such as Turkey consider the group to be a terrorist organisation.

The charges against Sam and his father Paul were dropped by the Crown Prosecution service in July 2020, and no further action was taken at the time. 

Sam is just the latest Brit to be killed fighting for Ukraine. Many of those killed in the country fought to join some of the country’s fiercest battles against Russia.

Previous deaths have included Jay Morais, a 52-yer-old from Bristol who took part in street battles in Severodonetsk last summer before joining the battle in Bakhmut.

Simon Lingard, 38, who had served in the UK’s Special Forces, was killed in Ukraine in November last year. The father-of-two, who served multiple tours in Afghanistan with the British military, died ‘fighting for what he believed in’, his family said at the time.