A coroner has ruled that a British ex-paratrooper was unlawfully killed in Ukraine by someone he thought was a friend
Zaporizhzhia: So, there’s this tragic story about a British guy named Daniel Burke. He was a former paratrooper who went to Ukraine to help out during the war. Sadly, he was found dead far from the frontline, and it turns out he was killed by someone he thought was a friend.
Daniel, 36, from Wythenshawe in Manchester, went missing last August. His body was discovered in September. He had gone to Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion, which is pretty brave if you ask me.
The inquest revealed that his killer was pretending to be on his side. The coroner said it was a cowardly act, especially since Daniel was known for his bravery. It’s just heartbreaking.
Detective Chief Superintendent Lewis Hughes from Greater Manchester Police expressed condolences to Daniel’s family. They’ve been in touch with Ukrainian officials, who have a name for the suspected killer, but that person has apparently fled.
When Daniel’s body was returned to the UK, specialists did tests and shared their findings with Ukrainian law enforcement. It’s a complicated situation, but they’re treating it as a homicide.
Daniel had a history of service. He fought in Afghanistan and even joined Kurdish forces in Syria against ISIS. He was inspired to fight after the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, which is really something.
He had a tough time when he returned from Syria, getting arrested for eight months, which he found confusing since the group he fought with was allied with the UK at the time.
It’s a sad story, and it just shows how dangerous things can get in conflict zones. More updates will come as this story develops.