UK national reportedly captured by Russia while fighting for Ukraine
A British national fighting for Ukraine has been captured by Russian forces in Kursk Oblast, according to multiple reports from Nov. 24.
A video of a man in military fatigues, who identifies himself as former British army signalman James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, began circulating on Russian Telegram channels on Nov. 24.
In the video, the man – who spoke with an English accent – says he signed up for Ukraine's International Legion, a unit made up of foreign volunteers, after serving in the British military from 2019 to 2023. When the footage was taken remains unclear, and its authenticity could not be independently verified.
The man cannot speak freely as he was recorded while captured and apparently in the presence of Russian soldiers.
The Russian state news agency TASS quoted a military source claiming that a "U.K. mercenary" has been detained in Kursk Oblast, an embattled region on the border with Ukraine. Russia often presents foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine as "mercenaries" and claims they are not entitled to protection as prisoners of war.
The U.K. Foreign Office told the media it was "supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention."
Scott Anderson, the 22-year-old's father, told the Daily Mail that he "was in complete shock and in tears" when the fighter's commander sent him the video.
"I could see straight away it was him. He looks frightened, scared, and worried," Scott Anderson said.
Two other Britons, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, were captured by Russian forces in Mariupol in 2022 and sentenced to death before being released in a prisoner exchange.
Russia has ramped up pressure in Kursk Oblast to dislodge Ukrainian troops holding positions there since early August. Reuters reported on Nov. 23 that Ukraine had lost over 40% of territory previously captured during the incursion.
Dmytro Basmat
