The parents of a young British soldier killed valiantly fighting in Ukraine have said they are ‘immensely proud of his courage’, and have slammed the UK’s Foreign Office for its lack of support.
Marlyn Tarmey, 20, tragically lost his life in the village of Staromaiorske in the Donetsk region of Ukraine in June 2024, just three months after signing up to fight Vladimir Putin‘s army.
The soldier went out to fight in the foreign legion in March 2024 at just 19 years old and his parents stayed in close contact with him right up until the day before he was killed.
His death has been ‘devastating’ for the family, but they said they are ‘immensely proud of his courage and the person he was’.
Marlyn’s remains have yet to be recovered, which his parents said ‘adds another layer of pain to our grief’.
They said that Marlyn was ‘so much more than a soldier or a statistic’ – he was ‘a much loved son, grandson, cousin, brother and friend with a big heart and a great wit’.
While they said the Foreign Office was not helpful, Michaela and Christopher Tarmey said the RT Weatherman Foundation, which supports families legally, communicates with the Ukrainian Army, and protects families from having to journey to a warzone, has been ‘a lifeline’.
The bereaved parents said they found this foundation ‘by chance’ and want to make sure other families know about it.
Marlyn Tarmey, 20, (pictured) tragically lost his life in the village of Staromaiorske in the Donetsk region of Ukraine in June 2024
The soldier went out to fight in the foreign legion in March 2024 at just 19 years old
They said: ‘In our desperation, we searched social media and reached out to people who seemed to be in Ukraine.
‘Through this, someone told us about the foundation. Without that, we would never have known they existed and we imagine many families might never hear about them at all.’
Without this organisation, they would have been ‘completely on our own’, they said.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: ‘Where consular cases arise in conflict zones, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will always seek to give the maximum assistance that we are able to in the circumstances while also working with partner organisations like the R.T. Weatherman foundation who are able to give families specialist support over and above what the FCDO is able to provide.’
It comes just weeks after Ukraine paid its respects to a ‘hero’ British drone pilot who was killed fighting on the frontline against Vladimir Putin’s troops.
Ben ‘Budgie’ Burgess, 33, from Portsmouth, was a former British Army serviceman who volunteered to fight in Ukraine following the full-scale invasion by Russia in February 2022.
He had served on the frontline for three years, according to members of his unit.
A funeral attended by 40 people, including family and friends, was held at Kyiv’s main crematorium for the volunteer in July, the Kyiv Post reported.
Ukraine has paid an emotional tribute to ‘hero’ British drone pilot Ben ‘Budgie’ Burgess
His coffin was draped in the British and Ukrainian flags as fellow soldiers held framed pictures of the fallen drone pilot.
Russian sources had earlier claimed the British fighter – full name Benjamin Leo Burgess, call sign Budgie – had been ‘eliminated’.
Reports suggest he was killed in Andreevka, in Ukraine’s Sumy region, on June 20.
Another British volunteer soldier – identified only by his call sign Azrael – said: ‘A lot of people come to Ukraine for different reasons, but Budgie definitely came for the belief that Ukraine deserves to be free.
‘And he was willing to fight for that. And he did.
‘He fought well, fought bravely, and ultimately was killed doing that.’
