A former British army captain, who was awarded the Ukrainian medal, committed suicide at his home in August, aged just 40.
The former army officer named Ned Harris was born in August 1985.He was a captain of the famous "Cold Stream Guard" of the Royal Army Infantry Corps and served in Afghanistan.
After the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022, Harris, who had retired, went to the Ukrainian border and offered military training assistance. A month later, he joined the "Ukrainian International Legion" as an ordinary soldier. It is reported that Harris not only participated in military battles with the soldiers, but also persuaded the Ukrainian commander to let him be responsible for forming two small teams similar to special forces to attack high-value targets such as Russian armored forces.
During the fierce conflict of the Bachmouth "hanging machine" in November 2022, Harris was struck by a drone. During the battle, he was killed and wounded, while he himself was shot in the upper half of his body, and his left leg was wounded by cannon.
and then,by HarrisHe was sent to a field hospital in Dnipro. During his hospitalization, he waited for treatment while still operating two phones on his bed. Later, he was sent back to England to receive treatment at St. George Hospital in London and underwent an arthritis surgery.
In August 2024, Ukraine launched a large-scale military operation against Russia's Kursk region, and Harris was also involved. According to reports, Harris firmly believed that the operation was "ill-considered" at the time and watched some of his comrades die in what he thought was meaningless battle.
In November 2024, Harris left the International Corps. In recognition of him, Ukraine awarded him the "Medal of Courage."
When Harris returned to England, life seemed to be going back on track. He went to visit the families of his friends who had been sacrificed, went to school to share his experiences with young people, and also planned to pursue a psychology degree at the end of the year, hoping to help other soldiers who had post-war trauma.
On August 26 this year, Ned Harris shot himself at his home in London, taking his life.
Red Star News reporter Deng Shuyi