{"id":1804,"date":"2025-02-03T07:06:56","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T08:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/?p=1804"},"modified":"2025-02-03T09:59:34","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T09:59:34","slug":"ex-british-mp-joins-ukrainian-army-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/03\/ex-british-mp-joins-ukrainian-army-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-British MP joins Ukrainian army \u2013 Independent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Giacomo Lopresti, 55, moved to Kiev after losing his seat in last year\u2019s Tory wipeout, the newspaper has reported<\/strong><\/p>\n

A 55-year-old former British lawmaker has joined the Ukrainian military following the loss of his parliamentary seat during last year\u2019s election, The Independent reported on Sunday. Giacomo \u2018Jack\u2019 Lopresti, a former Conservative MP who represented the constituency of Filton and Bradley Stoke in Gloucestershire, is now based in Kiev, according to the newspaper.<\/p>\n

Ukraine has been recruiting foreign fighters since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022. Its armed forces are grappling with desertion and battlefield losses.<\/p>\n

With prior experience as a corporal in the UK Army Reserve, Lopresti is \u201cusing his skills\u201d<\/em> to contribute to Ukraine\u2019s war effort against Russia, the report said. He traveled to the country in November, months after the Tory wipeout in last June\u2019s election, and has since joined Kiev\u2019s International Legion, the military unit dedicated to foreign fighters.<\/p>\n

His current duties reportedly include foreign relations and diplomacy, weapons procurement, and working with veterans and charities operating in Ukraine. Lopresti expects a promotion to an officer\u2019s position after Kiev allowed foreign nationals to ascend beyond non-commissioned ranks.<\/p>\n

\n

From Parliament to the International Legion of Ukraine: Former MP Jack Lopresti Now Serving in Ukraine\u2019s Military<\/p>\n

Jack Lopresti, former MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke and former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, has volunteered to serve in the Ukrainian military. He is\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/ZdOQbLmYnI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jack Lopresti (@JackLopresti) February 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Speaking to The Independent, Lopresti expressed optimism about Ukraine\u2019s prospects, claiming that troop morale remains high. This stands in stark contrast to media reports that the Ukrainian military is undermined by staggering desertion rates and exhaustion from fighting. Many Ukrainian citizens subject to forced conscription harbor fears of near-certain death on the front line, The Guardian said<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
Zelensky has no idea where most of \u2018$200 billion\u2019 in US aid went<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Kiev is grappling with a funding crisis after US President Donald Trump ordered a review of most foreign assistance programs for possible waste and graft. While military aid for Ukraine was reportedly unaffected, the US president has urged European members of NATO to shoulder a greater part of the burden.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky claimed over the weekend that he does not know where most of the reported $200 billion of US military assistance has gone. \u201cIn reality, we received about $76 billion. It\u2019s significant aid, but it\u2019s not $200 billion,\u201d<\/em> he told the Associated Press.<\/p>\n

Russia considers foreign nationals fighting for Kiev as mercenaries, designating them legitimate targets on the battlefield and subject for prosecution. Western media often portray compatriots killed in the Ukraine conflict as selfless volunteers.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Jake Waddington, 34, a former member of the Royal Anglian Regiment, was reportedly<\/a> killed during a reconnaissance mission for Kiev. Waddington went to Ukraine after a medical condition barred him from serving in the British military.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Giacomo Lopresti, 55, moved to Kiev after losing his seat in last year\u2019s Tory wipeout, the newspaper has reported A 55-year-old former British lawmaker has joined the Ukrainian military following the loss of his parliamentary seat during last year\u2019s election, The Independent reported on Sunday. Giacomo \u2018Jack\u2019 Lopresti, a former Conservative MP who represented the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1804"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1807,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1804\/revisions\/1807"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}