A former British soldier who travelled to Ukraine to help deliver aid to civilians has said that it is the first war he has gone to knowing he had a clear purpose. The former sniper with the British Army, who gave his name as Shane, said that he could not stand by while there was a “genocide” being carried out against the civilian population. The Times followed Shane as he travelled from Heathrow to the war-torn country, first flying to Poland and then on to the border by car. He was heading for Kyiv, where he hoped to help wounded civilians. Shane’s journey was facilitated by representatives from the Ukrainian government, whom he met at the border.

He said that he had decided to go to Ukraine after two days of watching videos showing the horror of civilian life within the war zone.

“The one thing I can’t get my head around is that they are indiscriminately targeting innocent people,” he said. “I’ve been involved in a lot of conflict in my life and it’s never been clear what the purpose is behind going to that war. But this is a very simple reason as what is being undertaken is effectively genocide against the civilian population, and my reason for going out there is to help the civilian population.”

Shane did not want to give his surname over concerns about his legal status once he returns to the UK. He said that there was still a lot of confusion around whether or not Britons were allowed to fight in Ukraine.

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