A British Army veteran has told how he blew up a Russian tank convoy in a night-time ambush in Ukraine, to halt the Kremlin advance.
Former Royal Artillery gunner Zac West, 50, from Worcester is part of a 100-strong militia defending the lives and homes of the people of Zaporizhzhya on the Dnieper river, in the embattled south of the country.
Together with his friends and neighbours, Zac, who served for 26 years in the Royal Artillery, mount nightly missions attacking Russian lines and halting the enemy advance.
On Friday night the Briton, who has lived in Ukraine for ten years, led a four-unit combat patrol that destroyed two Russian tanks, an armoured troop carrier and their supply vehicles who were attempting to overrun the strategically important industrial city.
Former Royal Artillery gunner Zac West, 50, from Worcester is part of a 100-strong militia defending the lives and homes of the people of Zaporizhzhya (pictured in Afghanistant)
Mr West spent 26 years in the Royal Artillery (pictured here in Iraq – top row, first on the left)
Zaporizhzhya and its huge nuclear power plant have been the scene of fierce fighting as Ukrainian forces continue to resist the Russian advance.
Speaking last night before he left his base to join a night combat patrol he told MailOnline how his unit was winning the fight.
Zac said: ‘The main Russian assault force on the town is defeated. They are down to 20 per of their battle strength. We have had some success.
‘On Friday night we had had a very eventful night, no sleep and no peace.
‘We managed to ambush a Russian armoured convoy successfully.
‘In retaliation they destroyed a Ukrainian military ambulance, 8 KIA, [killed in action].
‘But in the previous action we destroyed a BMP 2 [armoured troop carrier], two T64 [battle tanks] and some supply vehicles.
‘Four combat patrols went out and all came back home safely.’
He added: ‘We are operating every night.
‘We have knocked out about 50 Russian vehicles and taken about 80 prisoners, mostly 18-year-old kids from Siberia. Conscripts. They don’t know why they are here.’
Zac West (pictured right, at a Royal Artillery Regimental dinner) has a Ukrainian partner and a six-year-old son. He refused to leave when war broke out and vowed to fight for his adopted country
