British aid worker killed in Ukraine, says family

Annie Lewis Marffy was excited to be doing something meaningful, her family says

The family of a British aid worker say they are living in limbo after police in Ukraine reported she had been killed in a drone strike.

Annie Lewis Marffy, 69, from Silverton, near Exeter, was killed by a Russian drone in the Donbas region in June, according to a local police report.

Her body has never been recovered and her family say they are in a battle to get a death certificate issued by local authorities or the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Without one, they say they are unable to grieve properly or begin the probate process.

The FCDO said it was supporting the family but it was down to Ukraine authorities to provide a death certificate.

Lewis Marffy crossed into Ukraine on 4 June driving a green Toyota RAV4

Ms Lewis Marffy's son Charlie Lewis Marffy said: "She was brave, capable and determined, but we never wanted her to go. We were worried."

His mother had joined a self-funded mission organised by Aid Ukraine, an aid organisation based in the UK.

She left for Poland in late May, driving a green Toyota RAV4 with a former soldier. When he fell ill and returned home, she continued alone, according to messages and calls home.

"She was in touch with us every day," said Mr Lewis Marffy, adding he did not blame the group for what happened.

"She spoke to my youngest brother constantly. She was excited, happy to be doing something meaningful."

Annie Lewis Marffy, pictured in a family photo, never showed any fear during her life, says her son

Ms Lewis Marffy told her family she had crossed into Ukraine on 4 June.

She texted them on 5 June and spoke to Mr Lewis Marffy on 8 June, but communication with her family stopped after that.

According to Aid Ukraine founder Katarzyna Bylok, Ms Lewis Marffy had refused to meet volunteers in Lviv for a scheduled handover and insisted on continuing alone to Kramatorsk in the contested Donbas region.

She declined to share her location or expected arrival time and ignored advice to avoid front line areas, she said.

"After that, we were on a wild goose chase for about a week," she said.

Aid Ukraine said its last communication with Ms Lewis Marffy was on 10 June.

Charlie Lewis Marffy says his mother doted on animals at her home

The local police report, by the Kramatorsk District Police Department, names Ms Lewis Marffy and states she sustained "injuries incompatible with life" after a Russian drone strike between 11 and 12 June.

It says the body "remains in an area of active hostilities, making it impossible to conduct evacuation measures to transfer the body to the forensic medical examination department".

Mr Lewis Marffy said: "They're saying she died. Still, there's no body. No possessions. No ID. Nothing."

The family say they have sent a series of emails and made calls to the FCDO and Ukrainian authorities asking for a death certificate to be issued based on the police report.

"I'm dismayed. The Foreign Office has been vague, unhelpful," said Mr Lewis Marffy.

The family had explored private retrieval options of the body but these were either dangerous or the cost was prohibitive, he said.

According to information received by Aid Ukraine from local police after Ms Lewis Marffy's death, she had driven alone on 11 June onto the Bakhmut highway, dubbed a "kill zone" because of its proximity to the front.

She had parked her car by the roadside when she and the vehicle were destroyed by the drone strike.

'Totally fearless'

Mr Lewis Marffy said his widely travelled mother was "was amazing, witty, kind, intelligent, adventurous".

"She was irreplaceable," he said. "I feel very sad that she's not here anymore but I'm very proud of who she was."

She made documentaries, helped at soup kitchens and refugee kitchens in Exeter, and doted on animals of which she cared for many at her home, he said.

"I never saw her scared, she was totally fearless and maybe that's contributed to her death in some way," he said.

"She was a force and it was her decision. We're not looking to blame anyone.

"We just want a bit more information, some kind of resolution."

A FCDO spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who is missing in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities."