A former British soldier who travelled to Ukraine to help clear landmines has been killed in an “incident” in the east of the country.

Chris Garrett, 40, died near the town of Izyum, which is strewn with unexploded bombs and mines left over from the Russian retreat in 2022.

“On [Tuesday] Prevail received the devastating news that our co-founder and chairman alongside other team members were severely injured in an incident near Izyum,” said a spokesman for Prevail, a humanitarian agency founded by Garrett.

“We are still gathering information and working alongside military and police officials to uncover the details.

“We kindly request respect and privacy for the affected families and will provide timely updates when possible.”

Garrett, also known as Swampy, went to Ukraine to help soldiers clear mines and unexploded ordnance after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014.

He was recently sentenced in absentia to 14-and-a-half years in jail on terrorism charges by a kangaroo court in Donetsk, which is under Russian control.

Speaking in March, Garrett described the verdict as a “pathetic attempt to smear me by those who have murdered, raped and tortured thousands of civilians in Ukraine”.

Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation into his death.