UK Ministry of Defence confirms the death of Lance Corporal George Thomas Hooley on 9 December 2025. At least 40 UK citizens have died fighting for Ukraine since 2022, according to The Telegraph, but it is the first official UK NATO Paratrooper killed in Ukraine.
His commanding officer said in a tribute on Wednesday:
”I have no doubt that he would have continued to perform at the very front of his peer group over the coming years,” the commanding officer said, adding that ”all members of the Parachute Regiment mourn his loss”.
According to the BBC, the incident is not thought to have been caused by hostile fire. The Telegraph cited a defense source as saying that it is the first official UK military casualty in Ukraine.
RT writes that the UK also admitted that a “small number of personnel” were serving in a supportive role in Ukraine. London has been one of Kiev’s chief arms suppliers, and more than 56,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained under the British-led Operation Interflex.
The Russian Telegram channel ‘Rybar’, which covers the Ukraine conflict, claims that at least 99 British men and one woman are said to be part of an “International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine.”
Sources
- UK Ministry of Defence: Ministry of Defence confirms the death of Lance Corporal George Thomas Hooley
- BBC: British paratrooper killed in Ukraine ’lived life of courage’
- MOD.uk: The Parachute Regiment
- RT: UK admits sending paratroopers to Ukraine