A former British Army soldier and Durham University graduate has been killed by a Russian drone while fighting with Ukrainians.
Jake Waddington, 34, a former Lance Corporal in the Royal Anglian Regiment, was fatally injured by a grenade on Monday during a mission.
He was said to have been gathering intelligence in the Donetsk region just yards away from a Russian trench. A second soldier survived the attack but remains in a critical condition.
Before his voluntary stint in Ukraine, Mr Waddington, from Cambridge, served in the Army as a member of Second Battalion, the Royal Anglian Regiment.
But while preparing to be deployed to Afghanistan with the Royal Anglian Regiment, he suffered an epileptic seizure and volunterily withdrew from the Army.
Mr Waddington then studied at Durham before attempting to enlist again as an Officer Cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before being medically discharged following another seizure in 2022.
Jake Waddington (pictured), a former Lance Corporal in the Royal Anglian Regiment, died in a Russian drone strike on Monday
The former Durham University student (pictured, centre) was said to have been yards away from a Russian trench
While never commissioned as an officer, he was awarded an SPS [Staff and Personnel Support] cap badge.
‘It’s sad, he was a good lad,’ one source said. ‘He was also super reliable and a great help to all those in the troop. It was a real shame he ever got discharged.’
Mr Waddington had returned to the UK on a number of occasions after joining Ukraine’s International Legion and had recently extended his contract to fight for another six months.
Paying tribute on Facebook, friend Robert Clark said: ‘You were one of the best of us. I’m so proud of you mate.’
Another colleague paid tribute to Mr Waddington’s ‘infectious sense of humour and that unforgettable, big smile he always wore’.
He is survived by a sister, mother and uncle.
The MoD was approached for comment.
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