Coroner Rules British Paratrooper Killed by Explosion in Ukraine

​An inquest conducted partly in secret has concluded that British paratrooper Lance Corporal George Hooley died from multiple injuries sustained in an accidental explosion during a military test in Ukraine.

​Senior coroner for Oxfordshire, Darren Salter, ruled that the 28-year-old soldier succumbed to his wounds in a Kyiv hospital on December 9, 2025, three days after the incident. L/Cpl Hooley had been observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability well away from the front lines.

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​The Ministry of Defence (MoD) previously described the incident as a tragic accident. The deployment of UK paratroopers to the war-torn country was not publicly acknowledged until the soldier’s death.

​At the request of the family and interested parties, parts of the inquest were held behind closed doors due to the sensitive nature of the defensive technology being tested. Tributes poured in following the ruling for the “exceptional” soldier, who was on the verge of a promotion and remembered by colleagues as a pillar of professionalism and morale within the Parachute Regiment.