Humanitarian worker from Ukraine died unjustly – Inquest hears

A person who helped people in a war in Ukraine was killed in a way that breaks the law, according to a coroner.

Christopher Parry, who was 28 years old, passed away in January 2023 after being shot in the head and body, according to an investigation.

Coroner Darren Salter said there is “some evidence” that the Wagner Group, which is a private military company funded by the Russian government, may be involved.

The investigation also learned that Mr Parry gave a speech for his parents’ anniversary before he went to Ukraine.

His mom, Christine Parry, said that he told them they were great parents and thanked them.

“It was not like her at all,” she said. “I think he knew he wouldn’t come back. ”

Mr Parry, who was from Truro, passed away with another volunteer named Andrew Bagshaw, the inquest found.

Mr Parry’s friends said he wanted to help a person leave the Soledar region of Ukraine on January 6th, 2023.

Mr Parry’s girlfriend, Olha Volodymyrivna Khomenko, said that she didn’t hear from him after he sent her a message in the morning.

His body was found and sent back to the United Kingdom after being examined in Ukraine.

Mr Salter, who is in charge of investigating deaths for the Queen in Oxfordshire, said Mr. Parry was killed while helping people in Ukraine. It happened around January 7, 2023 in the Soledar region of Ukraine.

Mr Salter said it was hard to prove because there were no people who saw what happened.

He mentioned that there is some evidence that the Wagner Group, a company funded by the Russian government, may be involved.

This means that someone from the Wagner group seemed to have Mr. Bagshaw’s phone and sent messages on the Telegram app.

Mr Salter said that it is very sad that Chris and Andrew, who were doing humanitarian work for a long time, were lost in this situation.

“A big part of it was about saving people from dangerous places, so there was a lot of risk involved. ”

He said there is evidence showing they were helping others when they disappeared on January 6th.

Dental expert Surgeon Commander Michael Bamber said that they were able to confirm Mr. Parry’s identity by looking at his dental records.

DrRussell Delaney, a doctor who studies dead bodies in a hospital in Oxford, said that Mr. Parry died because he was shot in the head and body.

He said that there were no signs of a weapon being fired up close or in contact with the body, despite the limitations of time and a previous investigation in Ukraine.

The police in Ukraine found a Mercedes car with all windows broken, according to Mr.

Christine Parry said her son came back home to Truro to get better after a small surgery in 2023.

He watched the news a lot, including the Russian attack on Ukraine.

“He went to Warsaw, Poland, she said, and then went to Ukraine to help people. ”

The inquest found out that Mr Parry talked to his sister Kate about his job, but he told his parents he was just “helping with logistics”.

In June 2022, when Mr. Parry visited home, he didn’t think the dangers were serious, even though his mother said they were.

In October 2022, he gave a speech at a party for his sister’s birthday and his parents’ anniversary, she said.

He said thank you to his parents for helping him, Mrs Parry said. She also remembered talking to her son on 5 January when he called to say he missed them.

He was gone the next day.

Christine Parry said the family was very sad, and they will always remember their son and keep him in their hearts.

She also talked about how kind he is and how much he hates unfairness. She remembered a family trip to the United States when Mr Parry gave all his spending money to homeless people.

She said that his family is very proud of him for helping more than 400 people to leave a dangerous place.

She said her son called the night before he disappeared to make sure his family was okay.

“We will keep feeling the pain but we will also remember him forever,” she said, explaining that the family plans to carry on with his helpful work in Ukraine.

She said Ukraine will always be in our hearts.

Mr Salter said that the FCDO and other agencies, like the police and Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, helped him with his inquiry.