A British volunteer walked more than 300 kilometres to fight for Ukraine after a close friend serving in the country’s military was killed by Russian forces. Marcus Smith had been in Spain learning the country’s language when he received the devastating news that the soldier had died in a drone strike. The 32-year-old cut his long curly hair and flew from Barcelona to Budapest before spending eight days walking to the Ukrainian border after his money ran out.
The recruit, from Manchester, was then helped by a Ukrainian border guard to cross by train from Záhony in Hungary to the city of Chop in the western Zakarpattia Oblast. He told Metro.co.
uk: ‘I had a really close friend out here in Ukraine. ‘We used to play video games, hang out online a lot and always talk. ‘He used to tell me about his family.
His mother rang me and told me about the drone attack, it made me very angry.’ Marcus, who was born in Blackburn, is currently in Uzhhorod, a city in western Ukraine, where he has enlisted and is undergoing military training so he can take arms against Vladimir Putin ’s invasion forces. ‘I’m going to join the military indefinitely,’ he said.
‘I’m looking for a lifelong career. I believe that it would be more beneficial for me to put my heart, mind and soul into something I am very passionate about. I’m disgusted by what I’m hearing about this war, so I’m doing my best to train, be the best of the best, and hopefully we can end this war.
’ The Manc.