Mark Francois, the MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, who is also the Shadow Armed Forces Minister, recently visited Ukraine, as part of a parliamentary delegation, in particular to show his support for the Ukrainian military in their struggle against Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
As part of the visit, Mark received intelligence briefings from Ukrainian staff officers and also met with senior Ukrainian officials, including those working in the office of President Zelensky.
Whilst in Ukraine, Mark also paid his respects at the ceremony to mark the fourth anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which took place in Maidan Square, in the centre of Kyiv, on February the 24th 2026. As part of the visit, Mark also attended a reception at the British Embassy, where guests were entertained by a male voice choir from the Ukrainian Army, singing “A capella” (without accompaniment). Mark subsequently mentioned this stunning performance in a debate on Ukraine, in the House of Commons, following his return.
Speaking about his trip to Ukraine, Mark said:
“As a former infantry officer in the Territorial Army during the Cold War, a former MOD Minister over a decade ago and now the Shadow Armed Forces Minister, I was pleased to be able to go to Ukraine to show my support in person for the Ukrainian people and, in particular, for their Armed Forces. The Ukrainians have been fighting a war against Russia, not for four years, but for twelve - since the initial Russian invasion, including of Crimea, in 2014. Their valiant struggle, for Western values of democracy, freedom and self determination, is to be applauded and I very much hope that, one day, the whole of Ukraine will be free.”
