UK Armed Forces Member Dies in Road Incident in Ukraine

A member of the UK armed forces has died in a road traffic incident in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced.

The individual's family has been informed and has "requested a period of grace before further details are released", the MoD's statement said.

The incident on Saturday was not the result of hostile action, the BBC understands.

"Our thoughts and our sympathies are with the individual's loved ones at this difficult time," the MoD said.

It is not known which service the individual served in or what their role was.

The British government has previously acknowledged a small number of personnel in Ukraine to support Kyiv's armed forces and provide security to diplomatic staff.

A 28-year-old paratrooper, who died while watching the testing of a new defensive capability away from the front lines in December, was the first member of the armed forces killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

The UK has been one of Ukraine's closest allies during the war.

Ukraine was the location of Andy Burnham's first overseas trip as prime minister in August, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and promised to keep up the pressure on Russia despite Moscow's "outrageous threats".

Chairing his first meeting of the "coalition of the willing", set up by the UK and France under his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer, Burnham also agreed to hand over blueprints for British-made components for Scalp missiles.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X, external to get the latest alerts.