A BRIT mum has been killed in a Russian drone strike after going to Ukraine on an aid mission.
Annie Lewis Marffy, 69, was reported dead in June but her body is yet to be found with her heartbroken family pleading with officials to help bring her home.
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Annie from Silverton, near Exeter, was in the Donbas region when she was struck by a drone, according to a police report.
Her body has never been recovered and her family are still battling to get a death certificate issued by local authorities.
They have now asked the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to help secure confirmation of her death.
Without a proper certificate, they say they can’t grieve or go ahead with the probate process.
Her devastated son Charlie Lewis Marffy paid tribute to his heroic mum.
He said: “She was brave, capable and determined, but we never wanted her to go. We were worried.
“She was in touch with us every day.
“She spoke to my youngest brother constantly. She was excited, happy to be doing something meaningful.”
Annie heading to Ukraine alongside a self-funded mission organised by Aid Ukraine, a Ukrainian-based charity.
She left from Poland in late May in a green Toyota RAV4 with a former soldier.
He fell ill shortly after the trip started and was forced to return home – leaving Annie heading to war-torn Donbas on her own.
Annie told her family she entered Ukraine on June 4 and was in constant contact with her loved ones until June 8.
Aid Ukraine confirmed its colleagues last spoke with the Brit on 10 June.
Founder Katarzyna Bylok said Annie wanted to stay in the fiercely contested Donbas region instead of meeting with the rest of the volunteers in Lviv for a scheduled handover.
Annie declined to share her location or give any timings to the charity as she neared the front line in Kramatorsk.
Ms Bylok says after they couldn’t contact Annie anymore they went on a “wild goose chase for about a week”.
Aid Ukraine believe she was hit on the Bakhmut highway after her car was targeted in the aerial attacks.
A local police report by the Kramatorsk District Police Department said Annie likely died between June 11 and June 12.
Her cause of death was stated as “injuries incompatible with life” after a Russian drone strike.
It added the body “remains in an area of active hostilities, making it impossible to conduct evacuation measures to transfer the body to the forensic medical examination department”.
Charlie says he hopes his mum’s body can be found soon so his family can have closure on her death as he called for more action to be undertaken.
The family have tried to look in to private retrieval options but have been told any attempt would be too dangerous or cost too much.
Charlie hailed his mum as “amazing, witty, kind, intelligent, adventurous” before calling her “irreplaceable”.
He added: “I feel very sad that she’s not here anymore but I’m very proud of who she was.
“I never saw her scared, she was totally fearless and maybe that’s contributed to her death in some way,” he said.
“She was a force and it was her decision. We’re not looking to blame anyone.
“We just want a bit more information, some kind of resolution.”
