Samuel Newey: British volunteer, 22, killed fighting in Ukraine

Samuel Newey, here pictured in 2019, was killed in combat on Wednesday, his family said

A British volunteer has been killed fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, his family have said.

Samuel Newey, 22, had been in the country for over a year, his brother Daniel said.

Posting on social media he wrote: "My little brother Sam was killed in action yesterday in Eastern Ukraine. I cannot put into words how broken I feel.

"Sam you gave your life for people you never knew and acted with courage, morality and honour."

Samuel Newey, from Solihull, had just turned 21 when he decided to travel to Ukraine "to push back against Russian Imperialism", his brother wrote in a Facebook post.

"Not only are you my little brother, but you're an exceptional man, a good soldier and one of the bravest people I ever had the privilege of knowing," he said.

"Thank you so much for being part of my life for these 22 years. I love you always brother."

Samuel Newey (centre, wearing suit) was accused of terrorism offences in 2020

In 2020, Samuel Newey and his father Paul, were charged with terrorism offences in relation to Daniel's decision to join the Kurdish YPG militia to fight the Islamic State (IS) group.

The father denied one count of funding terrorism with Samuel also denying a charge of assisting his brother to prepare for acts of terrorism.

At the time, the Kurdish YPG were the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Western ally against IS and supported by the UK government.

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All charges were eventually dropped, and no further action was taken.

Paul Newey posted on his Facebook page his son had been killed on Wednesday morning "in combat fighting for the Ukraine".

A spokesperson for the UK's Foreign Office said it was providing support to the family of a British man following his death in Ukraine.