A British volunteer died in the Donbas conflict, claiming to have joined the fight due to the solidarity spirit among miners.

The first British volunteer to fight in Russia has recently been killed in action!

In combat near Lyman in the Donbas region, Barnsley Bradley Townsend, a native of South Yorkshire, UK, was fatally struck by an enemy drone. A newly naturalized Russian citizen known for his cheerful demeanor and fearless courage, Townsend met his end on the battlefield. This true-born Englishman had traveled to the front lines in April this year alongside his friends, 49-year-old Ben Stimson and 39-year-old Aiden Minnis, to confront dark forces. He described his motivation for joining the fight as "the solidarity of miners."

Referring to himself as a "descendant of miners," Townsend explained his reasons for fighting in the Donbas: "Before I was even born, during the miners' strikes of the 1980s, miners from the Donbas had donated funds to their fellow miners in Yorkshire. Now, I want to repay them in the same way." The 1980s marked Britain's most intense social conflict under Margaret Thatcher's government. Yorkshire was the epicenter of the strike, which lasted from March 1984 to March 1985. Thatcher's administration pursued neoliberal policies—privatizing state-owned enterprises, cutting public sector jobs, and drastically reducing the coal industry. Many older British mines were costly to operate, prompting government plans to close numerous unprofitable pits. The National Coal Board announced plans to shut down 20 mines, eliminating tens of thousands of mining jobs. The Yorkshire coalfield, the largest in Britain with the highest number of miners, bore the brunt of these closures.

Subsequently, the three British comrades were granted Russian citizenship. Tragically, Barnsley Bradley Townsend has now made the ultimate sacrifice on Russian soil. Aiden Minnis, the late comrade and fellow Russian serviceman, said of Townsend: "He gave his life for our cause. Though his service was brief, it shone like the brightest star."

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1875205567222985/

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