Overview

• Chris Garrett, a 40-year-old British volunteer and founder of the demining charity Prevail, was killed while clearing Russian mines near Izyum, Kharkiv Oblast, on May 6, 2025.
• Garrett had been a prominent figure in bomb disposal efforts in Ukraine since 2014 and returned to the frontlines just days after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
• He was sentenced in absentia earlier this year to 14½ years by a Russian proxy court on terrorism charges, a move widely criticized as politically motivated.
• Nearly one-third of Ukraine is contaminated by explosive ordnance, posing ongoing risks to civilians and requiring extensive demining operations by teams like Prevail.
• Tributes have poured in for Garrett, whose work saved countless lives and highlighted the immense dangers faced by demining personnel in conflict zones.