‘Hero' Brit drone fighter, 33, killed defending Ukraine as grieving comrades hug flag-draped coffin in emotional funeral
Tributes are pouring in for Benjamin Leo Burgess, 33, who served on the frontline for three years and was 'killed in combat'.
3
Burgess, 33, from Portsmouth was killed in the war where he had fought for three years as a volunteer
Credit: East2West
3
Ukraine has paid an emotional tribute to the hero fighter
Credit: East2West
3
Burgess' coffin draped with the British and Ukrainian flags
Credit: East2West
Burgess, from Portsmouth, first served in Zaporizhzhia with Ukraine's artillery regiment before becoming an FPV drone pilot.
He had formerly served in the British army.
A funeral attended by 40 people, including family and friends, was held at Kyiv's main crematorium for the Brit volunteer fighter.
Russian sources had earlier claimed the Burgess, whose call sign was Budgie, had been 'eliminated'.
He is understood to have been killed in Andreevka, in Ukraine's Sumy region.
Fellow soldiers said Burgess was a hero and was among the "best pilots we had."
Another Brit soldier - identified only by his call sign Azrael - said: 'A lot of people come to Ukraine for different reasons, but Budgie definitely came for the belief that Ukraine deserves to be free.
'And he was willing to fight for that. And he did.
Most read in The Sun
'He fought well, fought bravely, and ultimately was killed doing that.'
Azrael, from Ukraine's 78th airborne assault regiment, said Burgess' death was his biggest loss.
He added: "We were the last two foreign fighters in our regiment.
'He was my family here. I've lost many friends in this war – he's my biggest loss.'
The "hero" fighter was given a funeral at the heart of Kyiv city.
Emotional pictures show Burgess' coffin draped with the British and Ukrainian flags.
Family and friends, as well as fellow soldiers, were seen standing together as flowers and roses were laid gently on top of his casket.
Ukrainian locals left emotional messages for Burgess at Kyiv's Maidan Square.
One of the messages read: "Thank you for protecting."
More to follow...
For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Read more on the Irish Sun
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
11 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Heartbroken dad of missing teen Hannah Osborn says ‘everyone will know soon' in cryptic message after ‘foul play' fears
THE heartbroken dad of a missing teen has posted a cryptic social media message more than a week after she vanished. Hannah Osborn, 17, was last seen on August 9, leading to a major search to track her down. 6 Her family have feared the worst since her disappearance Credit: Facebook/@wesley osborn 6 Hannah Osborn, 17, was last seen on August 9 Credit: Facebook 6 Her dad Wesley has called the days she has been missing 'the hardest' of his life Credit: Facebook Her family have feared the worst since her disappearance in rural Arkansas. But suspicions have grown that an element of foul play may be involved, as reported by ABC affiliate KATV-TV. Hannah is a fan of the social media site Snapchat, according to her family. Her dad Wesley has called the days she has been missing "the hardest" of his life. read more in us news MONSTER STORM Hurricane Erin intensifies to 'catastrophic' category 5 with 160mph winds But in a cryptic Facebook post, he shared a picture of himself with his daughter along with a brief message. He wrote: "It's been a whole week since I've seen your beautiful face! "I'm coming and I'm bringing Hell with me! I know, they know, and everyone will know soon enough! "Bring my baby girl home or give her a phone so she can call me!" It is unclear who the "they" he refers to in the post is, and whether he believes for certain that he knows who has Hannah. Wesley, from the small city of Bradford, previously said his daughter had "problems" on Snapchat. Desperate hunt for missing teen Hannah Osborn who vanished after Snapchat 'problems' – as family fear 'foul play' He said she met people from out of town and became worried when she failed to return home. Wesley further claimed there were some cars in their neighborhood at the time she left home. He shared a picture of a vehicle that was seen in the area around the time of his daughter's disappearance. "It leads me to believe there might be some foul play," he previously said. It is not known if Hannah got into a car. She was last seen at around 7:40pm on August 9, and was last known to be wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Timeline of Hannah Osborn's disappearance HANNAH Osborn, a teenager from Arkansas, has gone missing. The U.S. Sun breaks down the timeline of her disappearance. August 9 - Hannah is last seen at around 7:40pm leaving her dad Wesley's house in Bradford, Arkansas. August 10 - Wesley posts online in the early hours and reveals that his daughter will be a missing person at 8am local time. Hours later - Wesley posts online with a heartfelt plea. He writes: "Hannah, I love you and I miss you, and I really need you to just to come back home." August 11 - Wesley speaks of his heartache. He revealed he's overwhelmed with emotion and asks Hannah for some sort of "assurance." August 14: Wesley and his wife Crystal (Hannah's mom) open up about their fears that she may have met someone on Snapchat in an interview Hannah also had an orange and black backpack with her, according to a missing persons poster. In a previous social media post, her dad wrote: "Please, if you see this pick up a phone and call me and tell me that you are ok. "It's been the hardest five days of our lives not knowing where you are or what may have happened to you. "We have turned this country upside down searching for you, following every single lead without hesitation hoping we would see your beautiful face at the end of each one! "I would beat down the doors of Hell to find you and make sure you are safe, and I hope you realize that and know that you are loved and greatly missed." Hannah's mother Crystal said: "I don't even have the words to express how I'm feeling right now. "The heartache, anxiety, worry, lack of sleep and overall fear is overwhelming." 6 Her dad shared a picture of a vehicle that was seen in the area Credit: Facebook/Wesley Osborn 6 Suspicions have grown that an element of foul play may be involved Credit: Facebook
The Irish Sun
11 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Billionaire's widow reveals final moments before doomed £14m Bayesian yacht sank in Italy killing daughter and husband
THE brave widow of Brit billionaire Mike Lynch has opened up on the final moments before the doomed £14 million Bayesian yacht sank. Angela Bacares, 58, survived the maritime disaster but lost both her husband and their teenage daughter Hannah. 10 Angela Bacares has revealed the final moments before the Bayesian sank last year and killed her husband Mike Lynch Credit: Facebook 10 The couple's teenage daughter Hannah also died in the disaster Credit: PA Advertisement 10 The 184ft Bayesian sank within a few minutes after being hit by high winds last August 10 Ms Bacares was awakened in the middle of the night when the luxury vessel started to tilt as a storm ripped through Sicily in August of last year. The 184ft Bayesian sank within a few minutes after being hit by the downburst - a strong, localised wind - while anchored in Porticello near Palermo. Advertisement Seven people died including four Brits after a frantic rescue mission. Speaking just before the one-year anniversary of the tragedy Ms Bacares told Italian prosecutors that when she sat up in bed she was "not worried, just curious". As the bad weather continued to rock those on board, Ms Bacares recalled seeing objects beginning to slide around the cabin she was sharing with Mr Lynch. But the widow says she remained calm and didn't think they were in a "serious situation". Advertisement This feeling was due to her being caught in another treacherous bout of weather just two weeks earlier in Naples which passed by after some time. The dangerous winds continued to worsen, according to Ms Bacares, as she later decided to leave her cabin and speak to captain James Cutfield just before 4am. New Zealander Cutfield and his crew were praised by Ms Bacares in her latest statement as she had always felt "reassured" by their calmness in the bad weather. But the skipper, 52, was placed under investigation for shipwreck and manslaughter after details of the sinking were uncovered. I found doomed Bayesian I saw still haunts me Italian prosecutors have also been looking into the ship's engineer Tim Parker Eaton and nightwatchman Matthew Griffiths. Advertisement All three deny any blame as investigations continue. Ms Bacares says after speaking to the crew she continued to feel calm. Then "something catastrophic happened", she said. She recalls the boat suddenly rolling over on its side as 80mph winds and a tornado-like waterspout battered the mast and left those on boards running for their lives. As the boat sank rapidly, Ms Bacares was pulled to safety by a crew member unaware of where her loved ones were. Advertisement Of the 22 onboard, 15 survived but seven died including Mr Lynch and Hannah, 18. Divers spent five days scouring the Bayesian wreck to retrieve the bodies of the missing passengers. They found Mr Lynch and his four guests, Chris and Neda Morvillo and Jonathan and Judy Bloomer, in the first cabin on the left. 10 Haunting pictures show the aftermath of the Bayesian's sinking Credit: TG/RAINEWS 10 Floating crane ships Hebo LIFT 10 and Hebo LIFT 2 recover part of the Bayesian yacht, June 20 Credit: PA Advertisement 10 Hannah was the last passenger to be discovered in the third cabin. Officials said the victims had scrambled to reach air pockets in the yacht as it sank stern-first before rolling onto its right side on the seabed. Businesswoman Angela is now also facing a financial battle. There is the potential of court action by the families of the victims who died on the yacht — and earlier this week, the UK's High Court ruled that her husband's estate owes US tech giant Hewlett-Packard more than £700million relating to fraud claims. Advertisement The case was brought six years ago by HP after they acquired his company Autonomy in 2011. The firm claimed Lynch and the former chief financial officer had fraudulently inflated its value. While Lynch was facing court action in America, HP was already chasing him through the civil courts in Britain — leading to this week's damages ruling. The High Court ruled that HP had paid a lot more than it would have done 'had Autonomy's true financial position been correctly presented' during the sale. If his estate — which goes to Angela and her remaining daughter Esme, 22 — ends up having to pay, it will almost certainly be bankrupted, leaving no inheritance for the family. Advertisement Inside the Bayesian's final 16 minutes DATA recovered from the Bayesian's Automatic Identification System (AIS) breaks down exactly how it sank in a painful minute-by-minute timeline. At 3.50am on Monday August 19 the Bayesian began to shake "dangerously" during a fierce storm, Italian outlet Corriere revealed. Just minutes later at 3.59am the boat's anchor gave way, with a source saying the data showed there was "no anchor left to hold". After the ferocious weather ripped away the boat's mooring it was dragged some 358 metres through the water. By 4am it had began to take on water and was plunged into a blackout, indicating that the waves had reached its generator or even engine room. At 4.05am the Bayesian fully disappeared underneath the waves. An emergency GPS signal was finally emitted at 4.06am to the coastguard station in Bari, a city nearby, alerting them that the vessel had sunk. Early reports suggested the disaster struck around 5am local time off the coast of Porticello Harbour in Palermo, Sicily. The new data pulled from the boat's AIS appears to suggest it happened an hour earlier at around 4am. Some 15 of the 22 onboard were rescued, 11 of them scrambling onto an inflatable life raft that sprung up on the deck. A smaller nearby boat - named Sir Robert Baden Powell - then helped take those people to shore. 10 Lynch, 59, died as the yacht sank Credit: Reuters 10 Divers found the Bayesian earlier this year Credit: Massimo Sestini/ugpix
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Two cruise passengers drown hours apart at newly opened Caribbean resort as cops probe deaths
Cops have opened investigations into the deaths CRUISE TRAGEDY Two cruise passengers drown hours apart at newly opened Caribbean resort as cops probe deaths TWO American tourists sadly drowned hours apart at a newly opened Caribbean resort. The tragic incidents happened at Carnival's private Bahamas resort on Friday. 1 The tragic incidents happened at Carnival's private Bahamas resort Credit: Handout Officials told the New York Post that the "water emergency incidents" involved guests travelling on two different ships. The drownings happened at Celebration Key on Grand Bahama Island. "Carnival lifeguards and medical teams working at the resort responded to both incidents, one occurring in the lagoon and the other at the beach," a spokesperson said. The passengers are reported to be a 79-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman, both of whom are American nationals. The Royal Bahamas Police Force has now opened an investigation into the deaths. The man had been snorkeling at the beach when he became unresponsive, according to reports. It happened just before noon on August 15, according to officials. A lifeguard rushed to his aid and brought him back to shore where CPR was administered. But he was sadly pronounced dead shortly afterwards. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
