Brit dad killed fighting in Ukraine showed commando spirit right to very end
TRIBUTES have been paid to Army vet Scott Sibley, the first Briton to die fighting in Ukraine.
The dad-of-two was killed defending the besieged city of Mykolaiv, while a second Brit is thought missing in action.
Scott is believed to have flown to Ukraine last month to join the country’s foreign legion after President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for help fighting the Russians.
A veteran of Afghanistan, the 36-year-old previously served with the elite Royal Marines’ Commando Logistics Support Squadron.
Yesterday Scott’s family, from Immingham, Lincs, posted tributes.
Dad Mel, 59, put a picture online of his son on his wedding day.
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His devastated sister Victoria, 34, wrote: “We are overwhelmed with everyone’s kind messages and beautiful memories that have been shared with us so far.”
A family friend said: “It is very sad but he thought what he was doing was right.”
Scott was pictured last month in military fatigues wearing British and Ukrainian patches.
He travelled with his unit to Mykolaiv in the Donbas region.
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The city was blitzed by Russian air strikes on Saturday. A second, unnamed, Brit is said to have vanished during fierce fighting.
In a statement the Foreign Office said: “We can confirm a British national has been killed in Ukraine and are supporting their family.
“We are aware of a British national who is missing in Ukraine and are supporting their family.
“We are urgently seeking further information.”
Scott’s old Army unit, based in Chivenor, Devon, is part of the UK’s rapid reaction corps supporting commando missions.
A spokesman said: “This week the Squadron has lost a former serving soldier. A man that showed Commando spirit until the end. RIP Scott Sibley.”
Other friends of Scott, divorced from ex-wife Kay and nicknamed Sibs, have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his funeral.
Alex Darwin wrote: “Sib, I’m in complete disbelief.
“What a pleasure to have served alongside you, to know you and to have experienced your kind nature.
“You were there for me and I will forever be grateful. One hell of a beautiful guy, inside & out!”
Another pal wrote: “Scott was a son, father, brother and uncle.
“To me he was a friend like no other and the bravest person I’ve had the pleasure to have known.
“His life may have been cut short but he lived to the full.”
Scott's daughter was diagnosed with a rare Neuroblastoma cancer in 2018 prompting Scott, then living in Bedlington, Northumberland, to shave his head in sympathy.
A Ukraine Foreign Legion spokesman refused to say how many British volunteers had signed up since the start of the war.
But he said Britain was the “most represented” nation, alongside ex-soldiers from the US.
Chris Garrett, 38, fought alongside Ukrainian forces between 2014 and 2017 when Russia invaded the Donbas.
He flew to Lviv at the start of the war to help ex-military personnel join the foreign legion.
Chris, of the Isle of Man, said: “In the first 24 hours over 120 people contacted me. After 48 hours that had gone up to 200 and by day three it was up to 360.”
Meanwhile Brit volunteers Shaun Pinner, 48, and Aiden Aslin, 28, continue to be held in Mariupol.
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Ex-squaddie Pinner was paraded by Russian state media in a chilling clip captioned: “After the trial, they face the death penalty.”
Pictures of Aslin showing bruises and cuts were also shared online.
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