Chris “Swampy” Garrett, a British volunteer, veteran, and founder of a humanitarian ordnance disposal charity, was killed on May 7 after triggering a Russian-planted improvised explosive device (IED) near Izyum in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. 

Garrett, originally from Peel on the Isle of Man, died alongside another member of his ordnance disposal team. A third team member was critically injured in the blast, which occurred during a mine-clearing operation in an area recently contested by Russian forces. 

On Tuesday, British Army veteran and longtime Ukraine volunteer Chris ‘Swampy’ Garrett was killed by a Russian improvised explosive device in the Kharkiv region. Swampy had served in Ukraine since 2014 as a combat veteran, deminer, and founder of the humanitarian group Prevail… pic.twitter.com/jcEKs1hiPo

— Saint Javelin (@saintjavelin) May 8, 2025

The incident was confirmed by the charity he co-founded, Prevail Together, and announced by Shaun Pinner, a fellow British volunteer and Ukrainian marine.

Garrett had served in Ukraine since 2014, initially joining the National Guard and later transitioning into a combat scout sniper role. 

He returned to the country shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, continuing his high-risk work removing landmines and unexploded ordnance in some of Ukraine’s most dangerous post-combat zones.

“On May 6, Prevail received the devastating news that our Founder and Chairman, Chris Garrett, alongside other team members, were severely injured in an incident near Izyum,” Pinner wrote in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). 

“It has now been confirmed that two of the three critically injured individuals have sadly passed away. I can confirm that Chris was among those who died.”

Garrett’s work in Ukraine spanned mine clearance, humanitarian aid, and combat-zone trauma training. Prevail, the non-governmental organization he founded with partner Courtney Pollock, has supported Ukraine’s defense and recovery efforts by training over 2,000 military and police personnel, clearing tons of explosive remnants of war, and delivering aid across frontlines.

At least Okko is open for coffee while we wait pic.twitter.com/PRILhGWQQs

— chris garrett AIExpE MIABTI (@Swampy_EOD_Ukr) April 25, 2025

Garrett first began demining in Myanmar in 2014, leveraging skills from his British Army training. 

In Ukraine, he was one of the earliest volunteers to enter liberated towns such as Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel in 2022, helping to neutralize vast quantities of unexploded Russian munitions. 

He documented his work on social media, using his platform to share safety information and raise awareness of the risks posed by mines and cluster submunitions.

Well, that’s the few days downtime and reset over. Back to where we came from (not our mothers)!
Another few weeks of clearance alongside military demining units.
While this goes on, our medical teams continue to keep busy transporting patients and conducting training across the… pic.twitter.com/3XtmmbzNXq

— chris garrett AIExpE MIABTI (@Swampy_EOD_Ukr) May 1, 2025

In an interview with The Sun, Garrett described clearing between six and ten tons of explosive ordnance daily. “This time we’re pushing into a grey zone where there are more risks and we may end up helping to clear routes in or areas they’ve literally just moved into,” he said.

Since February 2022, at least 76 civilians have been killed and 216 injured by mines, according to Ukrainian authorities. Additionally, eight professional sappers have died and 40 more have been wounded during clearance operations.

Garrett had previously been sentenced in absentia by a Russian-backed court in occupied Donetsk to 14 and a half years in prison on terrorism charges—a verdict he dismissed in an interview with Isle of Man Today as “a pathetic attempt to smear me by those who have murdered, raped and tortured thousands of civilians in Ukraine.”

His efforts earned recognition from the National Police of Ukraine, and he was widely respected in the humanitarian and veteran communities. Karolina Davison of the Manx Support for Ukraine charity described him as “a hero” and “one of the most humble and selfless people” she had ever known.

“Chris’s legacy will endure in every life saved, in every mine cleared, and in every act of humanitarian compassion inspired by his example,” Prevail’s board of trustees said in a joint statement. “Rest easy, Swampy. You showed us how to lead with heart and we’ll honour that every day.”

Chris Garrett is survived by a young daughter.