“He fell to the ground, wanted to raise his gun, so I shot him six times”: a British fighter describes in the film the killing of a Russian soldier in a close firefight after he killed British volunteers on the Ukrainian front followed

British fighters have described the “honour” of fighting in Ukraine despite the daily threat of death in a revealing film about life on the front lines.

The soldiers, made up of military ex-servicemen and those with no previous military experience, admitted friends called them “crazy” for joining the legions of international volunteers who responded to calls to protect Ukrainian territories after the invasion of the US to defend Ukraine before.

Civilian James Dee has revealed how he shot a Russian soldier at point-blank range during a tense confrontation in the key city of Kharkiv, seconds after the Russian killed fellow British volunteer Craig Mackintosh, a landscaper from Thetford, Norfolk.

Mr. Dee said, “He [the Russian] fell down, tried to raise his gun, so I shot him six times.

“I heard behind me: ‘Craig is dead'”.

“After that shooting, I looked down and cried. Not because I was afraid. But when you see it up close, you laugh with someone and life is over in the blink of an eye.”

British members of the Carpathian Sich Battalion drive to the front in a tank

British soldiers were pictured next to their unit which was part of the Carpathian Sich Battalion

Civilian James Dee has revealed how he shot dead a Russian soldier who had just killed another volunteer in a tense killing spree in the key city of Kharkiv

James Dee is on the front line in Ukraine recovering from the shock of a nearby tank shell explosion

The evidence, which includes candid mobile phone footage of soldiers in action, comes in a joint investigation into BBC series Our World and Newsnight, produced and presented by Emma Vardy.

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In another extract, a British army veteran nicknamed Rambo described how he was desperate to return to the Ukrainian front despite being repeatedly shot and seriously wounded by Russian troops.

Shareef Amin, currently undergoing reconstructive surgery at Bristol’s Southmead Hospital, said he initially felt compelled to “step up” and join the war effort because he wanted to “stay true to myself as a person”.

He said: “There is nothing in this world I want more than to be with my boys.

“If it means so much to you, then you don’t start anything you don’t finish. It is an honor.

“I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

“It’s not that we like to kill or spill blood, it’s in those situations that humanity really shines through.”

Last night Scotland Yard said it was investigating 100 allegations of war crimes related to the conflict on behalf of the International Criminal Court.

Counter-terrorism chief Matt Jukes said the remittances mainly came from people who fled to Britain after the invasion or from their friends and family.

Evidence is being gathered to support future prosecutions.

Shareef Amin from Bristol had reconstructive surgery after sustaining a serious injury

“I would do it all again in a heartbeat. It’s not that we like to kill or spill blood, it’s in those situations that humanity really shines through,” Shareef said.

British troops are pictured as part of a volunteer unit in Ukraine

Members of the Carpathian Sich Battalion ride a tank to the front line

It came as Western officials admitted that the end of the war was not in sight amid fears that Putin was planning an air offensive against Ukraine in the spring, despite reports of more than 1,000 daily Russian casualties.

A source said: “I think they still hope to survive Ukraine’s determination to defend itself and international unity.

“They are willing to sacrifice their young people and their country’s future to wreak havoc across Ukraine and try to exert the control they are trying to exert.”

The source said they hoped Ukraine’s success on the battlefield – boosted by Nato plans to increase supplies of anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine – would persuade the Kremlin to halt its offensive, but admitted they were more optimistic than realistic. .

Volunteers traveled the world to fight on behalf of Ukraine against the Russian invasion

Several British and international fighters were killed

They said, “Right now I think they are [Russia] think they can go on. They don’t budge [the number of] kill, so they make it as difficult as possible for anyone to have estimates.

“We think they are in trouble, but how much trouble and when it will bite, I can’t say now. I don’t see an early end.”

But she added, “You [Russia] many people lost. Basically it’s still not going well, it’s not going according to plan.’

The president of Belarus – Russia’s biggest Western ally – confirmed earlier that he would once again allow his country to become a base for the Kremlin to send more troops to Ukraine.

Alexander Lukashenko told the BBC he was “ready to give up territory” and even send his own soldiers into battle in extreme conditions.

He said: “I am also ready to go to war with the Russians of Belarus.

“But only if someone – even a single soldier – invades our territory with weapons from Ukraine to kill my people.”

Next week marks several important dates on the Russian calendar, including Putin’s annual address to the nation, the patriotic Defender of the Fatherland Day and a week from today the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

The film British in Battle: Ukraine is now available on BBC iPlayer.