Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Ryan Merrifield

Brit MP's son who didn't tell mum he was off to Ukraine seen 'destroying Russian tank'

An MP's ex-Royal Marine son is believed to be part of a squadron which took down a Russian transporter in Ukraine.

The armoured BTR exploded after coming under attack during a fierce battle in an unknown location in the war-torn country.

Serviceman Ben Grant is said to have been among a group of British, American and Canadian volunteer fighters involved in the skirmish.

The 30-year-old is the son of Tory MP Helen Grant, who represents Maidstone and The Weald.

Footage shared on social media shows the soldiers facing off with the Soviet-era carrier.

After being struck by launchers fired by the volunteers, the BTR was reportedly destroyed when unfired ammunition exploded.

The clip shows around four men in a formation with explosions going off in the background as one member shouts: "Go, go, go!"

The group emerges from the undergrowth in an open field, just missing being struck by the armoured vehicle.

One man yells "shoot it!" and another soldier tries to fire off a launcher which fails.

Another soldier then successfully fires his own launcher - thought to be an RGW-90-HH - and it hits.

They then retreat into nearby woods as explosions continue.

One of the squadron shouts "it's facing towards us" and another warns to "pull back".

In separate drone footage, which appears to be from the same incident, shows the BTR exploding, with bits of shrapnel flying off.

Twitter account Ukraine Weapons Tracker - posted the clips with the caption: "Foreign Volunteers (American, British, and possibly Canadian) targeted a Russian BTR-80 APC with a RGW-90 HH launcher, damaging it and causing ammo to cook off.

"Note that a Czech RPG-75M appears to fail to function correctly."

Dad-of-three Mr Grant left the UK for Ukraine in March.

He previously served for five years as a commando in the Royal Marines, including in Afghanistan.

The i paper reports he is one of the soldiers in the BTR video.

He previously said he joined up in Ukraine without telling his MP mum Helen, 60.

He told the Guardian : "I haven't been sent, nothing to do with the Government, nothing to do with my mother.

"Just want to make that clear, completely off my own back, I decided to do this. I didn't even tell my mum, but it is what it is."

Mr Grant quit the Royal Marines after admitting to assaulting two men in a nightclub after they shouted racial slurs.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.