A British volunteer has been killed fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, his family has said.

Samuel Newey, 22, had been in the country for over a year, his brother Daniel said.

Posting on social media he wrote: “My little brother Sam was killed in action yesterday in Eastern Ukraine. I cannot put into words how broken I feel.

“Sam you gave your life for people you never knew and acted with courage, morality, and honor.”

Samuel Newey had just turned 21 when he decided to travel to Ukraine “to push back against Russian Imperialism”, his brother wrote in a Facebook post.

“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,” he said.

“Thank you so much for being part of my life for these 22 years. I love you always brother.”

Samuel Newey and their supporters
Image caption,
Samuel Newey (center, wearing a suit) was accused of terrorism offenses in 2020
In 2020, Samuel Newey and his father Paul, from Solihull, were charged with terrorism offenses about Daniel’s decision to join the Kurdish YPG militia to fight the Islamic State (IS) group.

The father denied one count of funding terrorism with Samuel also denying a charge of assisting his brother to prepare for acts of terrorism.

At the time, the Kurdish YPG was the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Western ally against IS and supported by the UK government.

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All charges were eventually dropped, and no further action was taken.

Paul Newey posted on his Facebook page his son had been killed on Wednesday morning “in combat fighting for Ukraine”.