A former Tory Member of Parliament joined the Ukrainian international legion to help in the fight against Russia's invasion after losing his chair in the general elections last year.
Jack Lopresti, 55, was the Member of Parliament for Filton and Bradley Stoke in Gloucestershire for 14 years and served as deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in his last year in parliament.
He has also served in the British Army reserves since 2007, including a five-month-old bet in Afghanistan in 2008-2009.
Mr Lopresti is now based in Kiev and uses his skills to defend Ukraine against the aggression of Vladimir Putin.
As a member of parliament, he visited Ukraine and was a strong in favor of more help to support the country's war effort.
After lost his chair in the Tory Wipeout in the United Kingdom in July, Mr. Lopresti traveled to Ukraine to help a good cause in November.
In an interview with The Independent, the Four father revealed that it was his intention to join the international legion.
He said: 'I registered in November to become a member of the Legion. It took a while to find the best unit to use my experience and skills. '
Former MP Jack Lopresti became a member of the Ukrainian international legion after losing his chair in the general elections last year (shown: Mr Lopreesti on the front line near Zaporizhia in 2023 when he was still a parliamentary member and visited for British Kit and Equipers in action)
Jack Lopresti as the Member of Parliament for Filton and Bradley Stoke in Gloucestershire for 14 years (depicted: Mr Lopreesti on the front line near Zaporizhzhia in 2023 when he was still a Member of Parliament and visited to see the British Kit and Equipers in action )
Mr. Lopresti served as deputy chairman of the conservative party in his last year in parliament (photo: Mr Lopreesti in the Lower House)
Mr. Lopresti is not in a frontline infantry unit, instead supports support.
His military tasks and focus include foreign relations and diplomacy, weapons assignments and some work with veterans and with charities that are active in Ukraine.
He said to the independent: “I am located in Kiev, but I constantly travel through Ukraine,” adding that he had been to the cities of Kharkiv and Poltava in the east of the country last week.
He said on X: 'It is a huge honor and a huge privilege for me to serve in the Ukrainian army and to be able to help the brave and amazing Ukrainian people in any way I can.
'They not only fight for their freedom and their right to exist as an independent and sovereign nation, they also fight for all of us, in Europe and the rest of the free world.
'If Putin wins in Ukraine, we all know that he will not stop there. Dictators must be defeated, or they never stop.
'The consequences would also be enormous for the rest of the world, especially in places such as Taiwan.
“With the authoritarian axis of dictatorships, China, Iran and Noord -Korea, on the Mars and clear collaboration, Ukraine must be supported and get the tools to win for all our files.”
Mr Lopresti is based on KYIV who helps with diplomacy and purchasing: Mr Lopresti at the front line near Zaporizhzhia in 2023 when he was still a Member of Parliament and visited to see the British kit and equipment in action)
Mr Lopresti (right) walks past a promotional poster during a visit to the Rolls-Royce Manufacturing Facility in Bristol in March 2024
VolodyMyr Zensky (photo) signed a bill in October 2024 so that foreign volunteers in the international legion of Ukraine can fight as officers
Mr Lopresti said that the Ukrainians are still very up to the fight, almost three years after Putin launched his invasion on February 24, 2022.
He said: “They are indeed very determined. Moral is high. A very determined feeling. '
With Donald Trump planning to bring the conflict to a quick end by negotiating a deal, Lopresti said that Ukrainians are now waiting to see what the outcome will be.
He said: 'I think we are all waiting with interest [to see] What comes from the American administration, in an optimistic way. '
The law has recently changed to allow non-ukrainians to become officers in the army of the country, which means that Mr Lopresti could be one of the first, although he says that the paperwork with regard to his rank is currently is processed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned that British citizens traveling to Ukraine to fight in the war can be prosecuted upon return.
The Foreign Service Act 1870 makes it a crime for a British citizen to fight for a foreign power at war with a state with which the VK has peace, although this does not apply to modern conflicts.
Until now, the government has not tried to maintain the law, with dozens of British volunteers who go to the conflict to serve.
Mr. Lopresti used to be married to colleague -conservative parliament member Dame Andrea Jenkyns, in which the couple married in 2017 in the Crypt Commons in the Palace of Westminster
Unfortunately, some of these volunteers died or are recorded by Russian troops.
James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, a former soldier of the British army, was taken prisoner in November, for example.
On the Foreign Travel Advice page, it reads: 'If you travel to Ukraine to fight or to help others involved in the war, your activities can amount to violations under British legislation. You could be prosecuted on your return to the UK.
'Since May 18, 2024, British nationals who join the International Legion of Ukraine forces have to serve for at least six months and may not leave Ukraine during this period.
'British nationals fighting in Ukraine have been killed or captured.
'British nationals who do humanitarian work have also been held by the Russian authorities. The risk for life, or of abuse, is high.
'The ability of the British government to support you in these circumstances is very limited. It cannot facilitate your departure from Ukraine, your medical repatriation or termination of your military contract. '
