The wife of a British father who volunteered to fight in Ukraine without any prior military experience believes he was killed by a Russian drone strike during his first mission, just weeks after arriving on the front line.
Alan Robert Williams, 35, from Wirral, Merseyside, is officially listed as Missing in Action, with his body yet to be recovered. But his wife, Stephanie, 40, says those serving alongside him have confirmed her worst fears, that he died during a rescue mission in the Kharkiv region on 14 July.
Alan, who previously worked as a school site manager, left for Ukraine on 7 May and signed his contract with the foreign unit on 10 June. On 2 July, he spoke to Stephanie for the final time, mentioning he was about to embark on his first operation.
Just under two weeks later, a brief three-minute call from a Ukrainian sergeant shattered her world.
“She told me they had lost contact with him and all the evidence pointed to him being killed in action,” Stephanie told the Liverpool Echo. “Even though I’ve been told by multiple people out there what happened, it still doesn’t feel real. I’ve been messaging him updates on his phone every day. I keep hoping.”
First Mission, Final Moments
According to members of his unit, Alan was fatally wounded during an attempt to extract foreign officers caught under heavy fire. Four Russian drones reportedly targeted their position and dropped a mortar just eight metres from where Alan stood, facing away from the blast.
He was unresponsive instantly, and his comrades were forced to retreat under the pressure of an advancing Russian offensive. On 30 July, a friend who had been with Alan since his arrival confirmed to Stephanie that he had died on the battlefield and that it had been impossible to recover his body due to the ongoing threat.
“He Wanted Purpose, He Found It There”
Stephanie revealed that Alan had long struggled with mental health issues and had attempted to take his own life earlier this year. After being discharged from hospital, he made the unexpected decision to volunteer in Ukraine.
Though his family initially believed he may have gone to Ukraine seeking an end, Stephanie now believes there was a deeper reason.
“Once I got into his phone and read his messages to friends, I saw that it wasn’t about ending his life,” she said. “He couldn’t sit back and watch what was happening to civilians, especially children. That gave him purpose. That’s what the lads out there told me, he finally felt he wasn’t failing anyone.”
Alan and Stephanie had met 14 years ago in a Wirral pub and married in 2017. Together they have a 12-year-old daughter.
Stephanie described how Alan’s mental health improved once he arrived in Ukraine, even as her own deteriorated due to constant fear. “We had swapped places. I was terrified for him,” she said. “I would wake every hour and check if he was online, desperate for any sign of life.”
Caught in Limbo
Despite growing certainty over Alan’s fate, Stephanie cannot begin the legal or financial process of mourning. Under Ukrainian law, Alan must be officially declared Killed in Action before any benefits can be accessed, a process that requires either DNA confirmation or a six-month wait followed by a court petition, all handled in Ukrainian.
Stephanie, who works two jobs, one as a civil servant and another as a call handler, is now struggling financially.
“We’ve lost Alan’s wage, which was half of what covered our bills. But I can’t claim anything as a widow until he’s officially declared dead. I earn too much to get a single person benefit, and I have two adult children in the house, so I’m not entitled to anything,” she explained. “Once my savings run out, I won’t be able to cover rent or bills.”
Her mother, Lynne, has set up a GoFundMe to help the family navigate the coming months and cover any legal expenses associated with the declaration process.
“We want to help take some of the stress away,” Lynne wrote on the fundraiser page. “Any donation, big or small, is deeply appreciated.”
Official Support Ongoing
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said:
“We are supporting the family of a British man who is missing in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities.”
For now, Stephanie remains in painful limbo, holding on to hope that her husband’s body can be recovered so that she and their daughter can finally begin to grieve.
