A former Tory MP joined the Ukrainian International Legion to help in the fight against Russia‘s invasion after losing his seat in the general election last year.
Jack Lopresti, 55, was the MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke in Gloucestershire for 14 years and served as a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in his final year in Parliament.
He has also served in the British Army Reserves since 2007, including a five-month deployment to Afghanistan in 2008-2009.
Mr Lopresti is now based in Kyiv, using his skills to help defend Ukraine against Vladimir Putin‘s aggression.
As an MP, he visited Ukraine and was a strong advocate for more aid to support the country’s war effort.
After losing his seat in July in the Tory wipeout across the UK, Mr Lopresti travelled to Ukraine to help a charity in November.
In an interview with the Independent, the father-of-four revealed it had been his intention then to join the International Legion.
He said: ‘I did apply to join the legion in November. It took a while to find the best unit to utilise my experience and skills.’
Former MP Jack Lopresti has joined the Ukrainian International Legion after losing his seat in the general election last year (Pictured: Mr Lopresti on the front line near Zaporizhzhia in 2023 when he was still an MP and visited to see British kit and equipment in action)
Jack Lopresti as the MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke in Gloucestershire for 14 years (Pictured: Mr Lopresti on the front line near Zaporizhzhia in 2023 when he was still an MP and visited to see British kit and equipment in action)
Mr Lopresti served as a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in his final year in Parliament (Pictured: Mr Lopresti in the House of Commons)
Mr Lopresti is not in a frontline infantry unit, instead carrying out support work.
His military duties and focus include foreign relations and diplomacy, weapons procurement, and some work with veterans and with charities operating in Ukraine.
He told the Independent: ‘I’m based in Kyiv, but I constantly travel across Ukraine,’ adding that in the past week he had been to the cities of Kharkiv and Poltava in the country’s east.
He said on X: ‘It is a huge honour and an immense privilege for me to serve in the Ukrainian military and be able to help the gallant and amazing Ukrainian people in any way I can.
‘They are not only fighting for their freedom and their right to exist as a independent and sovereign nation, they are also fighting for all of us, in Europe and the rest of the free world.
‘If Putin wins in Ukraine, we all know he won’t stop there. Dictators have to be defeated, or they never stop.
‘The ramifications would also be enormous for the rest of the world, particularly in places like Taiwan.
‘With the authoritarian axis of dictatorships, China, Iran, and North Korea, on the march and clearly working together, Ukraine has to be supported and given the tools to win for all of our sakes.’
Mr Lopresti is based on Kyiv helping with diplomacy and procurement Pictured: Mr Lopresti on the front line near Zaporizhzhia in 2023 when he was still an MP and visited to see 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 Zelensky (pictured) signed a bill in October 2024 allowing foreign volunteers fighting in Ukraine’s International Legion to serve as officers
Mr Lopresti said the Ukrainians are still very much up for the fight, almost three years after Putin launched his invasion on 24 February 2022.
He said: ‘They are very determined indeed. Morale is high. A very resolute feeling.’
With Donald Trump planning to try to bring the conflict to a swift end by negotiating a deal, Mr Lopresti said 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 US administration, in an optimistic way.’
The law recently changed to allow non-Ukrainians to become officers in the country’s army, meaning Mr Lopresti could be one of the first, though he says the paperwork regarding his rank is currently being processed.
The Foreign Office has warned that UK citizens who travel to Ukraine to fight in the war could be prosecuted upon return.
The Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 makes it an offence for a UK citizen to fight for a foreign power at war with a state the UK is at peace with, although this has not applied to modern conflicts.
So far, the Government has not tried to enforce the law, with scores of British volunteers heading to the conflict to serve.
Mr Lopresti was formerly married to fellow former Conservative MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns, with the couple marrying in the Commons Crypt in the Palace of Westminster in 2017
Sadly, some of these volunteers have died or been capture by Russian forces.
For example, James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, a former British Army soldier, was captured in November.
On its foreign travel advice page, it reads: ‘If you travel to Ukraine to fight, or to assist others engaged in the war, your activities may amount to offences under UK legislation. You could be prosecuted on your return to the UK.
‘Since 18 May 2024, British nationals who join the International Legion or Ukraine Armed Forces have to serve at least six months and are not allowed to leave Ukraine during this period.
‘British nationals fighting in Ukraine have been killed or captured.
‘British nationals undertaking humanitarian work have also been detained by Russian authorities. The risk to life, or of maltreatment, is high.
‘The British Government’s ability 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.’
