The family of British man Callum Tindal-Draper has paid tribute after he was killed fighting in Ukraine on November 5.
The 22-year-old from Cornwall was fighting with the 4th International Legion, defending an observation post that came under Russian fire when he was killed.
His father, Steven Draper, said the family were proud of their “brave” son after he went to fight for Ukraine in June.
Mr Draper said: “We begged and begged and begged him not to go.
“But Callum said, ‘Dad, I’m not frightened of bullies and what’s going on in Ukraine is awful and someone needs to stand up for these people’.”
Mr Tindal-Draper’s mother, Caroline Tindal, told the BBC his family felt “so proud” of him, telling the broadcaster how her son had matured when she visited him in Ukraine in September.
She said her son had found “who he was meant to be”, became that person and lived it.
The grieving mum said: “When we found out he’d died, there was just this hole which I can’t describe and it’s always going to be there.”
Britain’s Foreign Office warns against all but essential travel to parts of Ukraine in part due to Russian missile and drone strikes.
Britons who join the International Legion or Ukraine Armed Forces since May 18 have had to serve at least six months and are not allowed to leave Ukraine over that period, according to the Foreign Office.
Estimates of the number of foreign nationals fighting in Ukraine vary, with some reports suggesting up to 3,000 have joined the war.
Mr Tindal-Draper’s battalion told his family in video messages and letters that he was an inspiration to them.
Ms Tindal said praise for her son was helping the family cope with the tragic news while Mr Draper said the hole left by his son’s death was “crushing” but he was filling it with pride because of the battalion’s tributes.
According to the BBC, Mr Tindal-Draper’s family have plans to bury him in Ukraine, where his mother said he had found his home.