// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Briton fighting for Russia killed in Ukraine
Bradley Townsend left South Yorkshire in April, reportedly telling his family he was going to Romania
A British national has been killed in Ukraine while fighting for Russia.
Bradley Townsend is said to have died following an attack by a remote-controlled FPV drone in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. His death, on 10 June, is believed to be the first of a British citizen fighting for Russia in the conflict.
The 33-year-old left his home in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, earlier this year after telling his family he was going to Romania, according to the Yorkshire Post, external.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) confirmed it was aware of reports a British national had died in Ukraine, adding it was in contact with his family.
The news emerged as Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv for his first foreign trip as UK prime minister.
The visit coincides with the 35th anniversary of the country's independence from the Soviet Union.
The government has agreed to hand over blueprints for British-made components for the Scalp missile, a French version of the UK's Storm Shadow cruise missile - allowing Ukraine to produce the weapon domestically.
Andy Burnham has promised to keep up the pressure on Russia despite Moscow's "outrageous threats", on his first official visit to Ukraine as UK prime minister
In a video shared online on 4 April, Townsend featured alongside Ben Stimson and Aiden Minnis - who were given Russian citizenship for fighting in the occupied Donbas region.