British taxi driver killed in Ukraine where he was hailed as a hero after saving hundreds of soldiers as a volunteer combat medic

A former London taxi driver who helped rescue hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers wounded in fighting with Russian troops has been killed on the frontline.

Peter Fouché, co-founder of the charity Project Konstantin, which is responsible for organising the medical evacuation (medevac) of more than 200 Ukrainian soldiers, was killed in fighting last month, the charity announced on Sunday.

Fouché, 49, was born and raised in Bluewater Bay, South Africa. He served as a sniper in the country’s Flying Squad, an elite police unit tasked with responding quickly to serious violent crimes such as murder, armed robbery and hijacking.

The father-of-one later moved to Fulham in west London and became a British citizen. In Britain he worked in construction and later became a driver for taxi and courier company Addison Lee.

But in March 2022, Fouché left for Ukraine, following the Russian invasion in February, eager to put into practice the skills he had learned during his time with the Flying Squad.

Peter was a former sniper with the South African police and worked as a courier and taxi driver in London before the war in Ukraine broke out

A spokesperson for Project Konstantin announced his passing via social media this weekend, sharing a moving tribute to Fouché, affectionately known as Hasta La Vista, in which he spoke of his life-saving work on the front lines of Ukraine.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Pete, our beloved CEO and founder,” it began.

“There are no words that can do Pete’s life justice. No words or sentences can ever describe how much he meant to all of us. Pete’s unwavering dedication, endless compassion and relentless commitment to Ukraine and its people have left a lasting impact on the countless lives he touched. His heroism knew no bounds.

‘He was actively involved in rescuing more than 200 wounded Ukrainian soldiers, evacuating civilians from the most dangerous cities on the front and bringing humanitarian aid to the people in those cities.

‘Pete’s courage and selflessness in the face of danger were nothing short of extraordinary, and his actions will be forever etched in our hearts.

“We will honor Pete’s memory by continuing the work he was so passionate about and carrying on his legacy of courage and kindness, of fighting for what is right and standing up to injustice.

The heartfelt tribute concluded, “Rest in peace, Peter. We know our Heavenly Father has welcomed you into His arms. Your heroism and contributions will never be forgotten and we will ensure they were not in vain.”

Upon his arrival in Ukraine, Fouché volunteered to fight for Kiev in one of the many territorial defense units created after the outbreak of the war.

But as a trained member of the South African Flying Squad, he felt his experience of high-speed flying and rapid incident response would be better suited to conducting medevacs.

He later co-founded the charity Project Konstantin with Tetyana Millard, a British-Ukrainian citizen, who was also involved in providing humanitarian aid to frontline towns and evacuating wounded soldiers.

Millard died last year in a horrific car accident while driving a donated car to a front line in Ukraine.

The charity’s name is a tribute to a Ukrainian soldier named Konstantin, who fought alongside Fouché and was killed by Russian mortar fire.

When he announced his death on social media this weekend, a spokesperson for Project Konstantin shared a moving tribute to Fouché, recounting his life-saving work on the frontlines of Ukraine

In this screenshot, taken from a clip on social media, Fouché stands in front of a damaged building in Ukraine

In 2023, Fouché operated near the besieged town of Bakhmut, where he was actively involved in providing medical aid to Ukrainian soldiers just 800 meters from the front line.

Speaking about his experiences with Subway At the end of last year, Fouché said:

“We are embedded in the Ukrainian army and we live in a bunker 800 meters from the zero line,” he said.

‘When they find a wounded soldier, they always call for our help and patch him up as best they can before we take him away.

“We’re taking him from his beautiful but hellish post to ambulances waiting for us at a secret location.”

He also explained what prompted him to move to Ukraine and volunteer to fight and serve.

Once a cop, always a cop, they say.

‘When I saw the images of innocent Ukrainians being mowed down as the full-scale invasion began, the police were immediately enthusiastic.

‘Being deployed to a Ukrainian brigade required a lot of work to gain their trust and work in a very dangerous area, and it’s a great relationship.

Earlier this year, he lashed out at Western governments over delays in sending military and humanitarian aid to Kiev.

“How dare you tell your story like this?” he said in a social media post. “Imagine if these were your children being slaughtered here.

“Put yourself in Ukraine’s shoes – we are being eliminated, exterminated. I am ashamed to be a Westerner.”

In addition to conducting medical evacuations of wounded soldiers, Project Konstantin members are responsible for delivering essential supplies such as vehicles, drones, uniforms, food and more to soldiers on the front lines.