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Two British volunteer fighters who fought in Ukraine are feared to have been murdered by their Foreign Legion comrades following alleged disputes over money and petty arguments, it has emerged.
Daniel Burke, a former paratrooper who went to fight in Ukraine as a volunteer last year, disappeared from his apartment in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia on August 11 and has not been seen since.
It is now feared that the 36-year-old was murdered not by Russian soldiers, but by his fellow Foreign Legion members, due to disputes and jealousy over the amount of money he was receiving in donations.
While Ukrainian police comb the fields of the village of Komyshuvakha on the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia for any sign of Burke’s body, police further east are investigating the death of former British soldier Jordan Chadwick, 31, near Bakhmut .
Chadwick, a former Scots guard from Burnley, Lancashire, who also volunteered to fight for Ukraine, was found dead in a body of water with his hands tied behind his back in June.
A source told Daily Telegraph that Chadwick had been shot during a small argument that got out of control, creating more mystery surrounding his death.
Daniel Burke (pictured), a former paratrooper who went to fight in Ukraine as a volunteer last year, disappeared from his apartment in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia on August 11 and has not been seen since.
Jordan Chadwick (pictured), a former Burnley Scottish guard who also volunteered to fight for Ukraine, was found dead in a body of water with his hands tied behind his back in June.
The two cases involving Burke and Chadwick are not believed to be related, but have raised fears among colleagues that they may have been killed by fellow Foreign Legion fighters.
Ukrainian police, already facing a large number of cases since the war began, are now investigating claims that Burke may have been murdered following disputes over money.
Burke, who had served in Afghanistan with the British Army before fighting ISIS with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, had traveled to Ukraine to fight as a volunteer last year.
He had told fellow fighters that he received £8,000 a month in donations from American millionaires thanks to his public profile, and it is feared this may have sparked jealousy among troops.
Police are also analyzing CCTV footage of Burke’s movements in a car that her friend, Australian volunteer Norine Abdelfetah, had lent her on the day she disappeared.
Abdelfetah told police he had dropped Burke off at his apartment on August 11 and had lent him his car over the weekend after she complained of suffering from food poisoning, the Telegraph reports.
The Australian said there was no sign of Burke when he came to collect the car two days later, and a day later, Adbelfetah’s colleague James Sutton told police.
While a source told the Telegraph that in Chadwick’s case, it is feared he was shot during a minor argument, there is further speculation that he may have drowned in an initiation ceremony gone wrong.
Chadwick’s death only became known last week when his mother, Brenda Chadwick, told the BBC she was “devastated” by the death of her son, who served in the Scots Guards from 2011 to 2015 (pictured).
Daniel Burke created his own volunteer unit in Ukraine called Dark Angels (pictured)
A YouTube channel claimed the ceremony was masterminded by a fellow volunteer who used to be in the SAS and said the water found in his lungs did not match the water where he was found according to forensic examinations.
Chadwick’s death only became known last week when his mother, Brenda Chadwick, told the bbc She was “devastated” by the death of her son, who served in the Scots Guards from 2011 to 2015.
“His passion for supporting freedom and helping others with his skills led him to leave the United Kingdom and travel to Ukraine in early October 2022,” Brenda said.
‘While we are extremely proud of his unwavering courage and resilience, his death has been devastating. No words can be found to describe the loss of such a short life.
“A son, brother, grandson, nephew and uncle, whom we loved immensely.”
Speculation that Burke and Chadwick may have been killed by their fellow Foreign Legion fighters exposes the dark side of volunteer fighting in Ukraine, with volunteers complaining that too little investigation has been done.
“There are guys who shouldn’t be here: some with criminal records, some with post-traumatic stress disorder and some with drug and alcohol problems or who use steroids,” one volunteer told the newspaper.
The UK Foreign Office declined to comment on the lines of inquiry currently being investigated in relation to the Burke and Chadwick cases.