A British man was captured by Russians because of the incompetence of his commanders while volunteering to fight in Ukraine, it is reported.
In April, dad-of-four Andrew Hill, from Plymouth, was captured and then paraded on Russian TV with a head bandage and his left arm covered in a sling.
New information has now been revealed that the reason Mr Hill was captured was that he was ordered to defend a position that had already been abandoned by another unit, due to intense Russian fire.
The Kyiv Independent newspaper has exposed the poor military strategies and corruption in Ukraine’s International Legion and revealed why the Brit may have been captured.
One American soldier described missions that took place near the southern city of Mykolaiv, where Russian troops discovered their squad’s position and started to shell it heavily.
Most troops retreated from the second position behind them, leaving the squad to hold the front line alone, leading to the death of his fellow soldier.
“We were literally left (behind) and they didn't want to evacuate us,” the soldier said.
Shortly after the squad escaped the shelling, another group from the same unit was ordered to take the same position again to try and take down the Russians despite the huge risk.
“We told the commander those positions were discovered by Russians… If we go back there, we are all dead,” the American soldier told the Kyiv Independent.
The commander did not want to hear it and sent a second group back to the same position. Once again, the second position retreated and those on the frontlines were at huge risk.
Four were killed, multiple were injured, and one was taken captive. The captive soldier was Mr Hill.
This week Mr Hill was marched in a cage with two other British men, a Swede and a Croatian, at a show trial in a proxy court in Russian-held Donetsk.
John Harding, Andrew Hill and Dylan Healy are among five European men who appeared in a court on a so-called trial at a court that is not internationally recognised.
They face possible execution under the laws of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, on accusations of being a mercenary.
Russian state media says the men's next hearing is scheduled for October.
The three captured men all denied they are mercenaries fighting with Ukrainian forces in a Russian proxy court.
Former British special forces soldiers who quit the International Legion not long after arriving said it was because they felt they were being lined up as cannon fodder.
Major Taras Vashuk, Vashuk’s uncle, also named Taras and Sasha Kuchynsky who run the squad have been accused by legionnaires interviewed for the report of a number of wrongdoings, including concern over sending soldiers on suicide missions.
Mr Kuchynsky has already been investigated twice by Ukrainian officials, but there have been no charges yet.
