Incompetent commanders doomed British volunteer to capture, say his fellow soldiers

A BRITISH volunteer fighting in Ukraine was only captured by Russian forces because of the callous incompetence of his commanders, soldiers in his former unit have said.

Andrew Hill, 35, from Plymouth, was held outside Mykolaiv in April. He was paraded in a cage with two other British men, a Swede and a Croat at a show trial in rebel-held Donetsk this week.

They are accused of being mercenaries and face a possible death sentence. Earlier this year, two Britons and a Moroccan were sentenced to death by the same court.

Now it has emerged he was captured after being ordered to defend a position already abandoned by another unit due to heavy Russian fire.

The Kyiv Independent made the claim as part of a report exposing poor military strategies, corruption and bullying in Ukraine’s International Legion.

“(The commanders) did not listen and sent another group to the very same place,” the newspaper reported, quoting soldiers who were in the battle near Mykolaiv. “The story repeated itself, but this time with four killed, multiple injured, and one taken captive.”

The International Legion was set up by Kyiv to attract military expertise but it has been controversial from the start.

Some of the volunteers are former British Army soldiers, but others, like Mr Hill, have no military background.

Earlier in the war, former British special forces soldiers said they quit the International Legion shortly after arriving because they felt they were being lined up as cannon fodder.

According to the Kyiv Independent, there are around 1,500 fighters in the International Legion. It is split into two units, one under the command of the Ukrainian army and the other run by Ukraine’s GUR intelligence service.

The main complaints in the report are aimed at the GUR unit, one of whose commanders, Sasha Kuchynsky, 60, is said to be a Polish criminal wanted for money laundering.

It is claimed he ordered soldiers to break into shops in Lysychansk, Donbas, and load vans with electronics, furniture and other valuable items.

The Kyiv Independent also accused Mr Kuchynsky of ordering similar lootings at other sites near the frontline.

He has already been investigated twice by Ukrainian officials, although no charges have been brought yet.

Soldiers in the International Legion said they had been motivated to speak out because their complaints had not been listened to and they wanted major reforms to the Legion.