Body found in search of missing former British soldier Daniel Burke fighting in Ukraine

A body has been found during the search for a former British soldier who went missing while fighting in Ukraine.

Former paratrooper Daniel Burke, 36, from south Manchester, was reported missing by his family on August 16 after traveling to join the fighting in 2022.

Greater Manchester Police said on Saturday that officers were working with Mr Burke’s family and Ukrainian authorities to identify the found body and bring it back to the UK.

Mr Burke’s mother, Diane Sniath, told the BBC that “this is the moment I’ve been dreading”.

His family told the channel that the body was found in Zaporizhzhia, about 44 km from the front line.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Hughes, head of disaster victim identification at GMP, said: “This is an upsetting time for Daniel’s family, we have family liaison officers in contact with the family and offering their support.

“My team and I are working with the Ukrainian authorities to carry out a formal identification with a view to repatriating Daniel at the end of this procedure.

“Daniel’s family has asked for privacy during this difficult time.”

Mr Burke, who had previously served in the parachute regiment, told the BBC on August 6 that he planned to join a Ukrainian army unit to fight against Russian forces.

In 2019, he spent eight months in prison, accused of terrorist offenses after traveling to Syria to fight alongside Kurdish militias against the Islamic State group. All charges against him were dropped in 2020, the BBC reports.

Mr Burke was one of several British fighters to die in the country after joining the war effort.

Last week, tributes were paid to former Scotland guard Jordan Chadwick, 31, from Burnley, who left the UK to travel to the country at the start of October 2022 to “support freedom” and “help » with his skills.

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