26/11/24
Russian forces capture 'former British soldier' fighting for Ukraine - reports
Russian forces have reportedly captured a British man while he was fighting for Ukraine.
In a widely circulated video posted on Sunday, the man says his name is James Scott Rhys Anderson, aged 22.
He says he is a former British Army soldier who signed up to fight for Ukraine's International Legion.
He is dressed in army fatigues and speaks with an English accent as he says to camera: "I was in the British Army before, from 2019 to 2023, 22 Signal Regiment."
He tells the camera he was "just a private", "a signalman" in "One Signal Brigade, 22 Signal Regiment, 252 Squadron".
"When I left... got fired from my job, I applied on the International Legion webpage. I had just lost everything. I just lost my job," he said.
"My dad was away in prison, I see it on the TV," he added, shaking his head. "It was a stupid idea."
In a second video, he is shown with his hands tied and at one point, with tape over his eyes.
He describes how he had travelled to Ukraine from Britain, saying: "I flew to Krakow, Poland, from London Luton. Bus from there to Medyka in Poland, on the Ukraine border."
His father, Scott Anderson, told the Daily Mail he was in "complete shock" after his son's Ukrainian commander informed him that the young man had been captured.
Mr Anderson, 41, said his son had served in the British military for four years, then briefly worked as a police custody officer before going to Ukraine.
He said he tried to convince his son not to join the Ukrainian military, and now he fears for his safety.
"He wanted to go out there because he thought he was doing what was right. He was dead against what was happening to the Ukrainian people.
"I'm hoping he'll be used as a bargaining chip, but my son told me they torture their prisoners and I'm so frightened he'll be tortured," he told the newspaper.
"He looks frightened, scared and worried," he added.
Russian state news agency Tass reported that a military source said a "UK mercenary" had been "taken prisoner in the Kursk area" of Russia. He reportedly had served as an instructor for Ukrainian troops.
The UK Foreign Office said it was "supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention".
The Ministry of Defence has declined to comment at this stage.
The International Legion for Defence of Ukraine was created at the request of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shortly after Russia's invasion in February 2022.
The Legion is a unit of Ukraine's ground forces that consists mostly of foreign volunteers. Apart from the Legion, Ukraine recruits foreigners to other units of its army, filling squads, companies, or even battalions.
Early on in the war, Ukraine's authorities said more than 20,000 people from 52 countries came to Ukraine's aid. Since then, the number of foreign fighters in Ukraine's military has been classified.
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