British mercenary taken into custody in Russia's Kursk, according to media reports
A 22-year-old man has been apprehended in Russia’s Kursk Region while engaging with the Ukrainian International Legion mercenaries. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
A 22-year-old man, who was a signalman in the British Army until 2023, has been reportedly captured in Russia's Kursk Region while fighting with the Ukrainian International Legion, a group of foreign recruits that Moscow designates as mercenaries.
According to reports from RIA Novosti and TASS news agencies, the individual identified himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson and was taken into custody near the village of Plekhovo, about 5 kilometers inside Russian territory. Russian Telegram channels have released several videos of his interrogation.
Anderson mentioned that he served in the British Army with the 1st Signal Brigade, 22 Signal Regiment, 252 Squadron from 2019 to 2023. Following his departure from the military, he faced financial hardships and chose to join the International Legion after seeing a television advertisement. “It was a stupid idea,” he said. “I had just lost everything – my job, and my dad was away in prison.”
He recounted that he applied online to join the Ukrainian foreign mercenary force and subsequently traveled from London to Krakow, Poland, before taking a bus to Medyka at the Ukraine border. In another video, Anderson explained that he ended up fighting on Russian soil because his commanders sent him there against his will. “I don’t want to be here,” he stated, claiming his commanders confiscated his “s**t,” including his passport and smartphone, and told him to “get into the car."
The UK Ministry of Defence has not commented on the capture of the former serviceman. In response to reports of his detention, the Foreign Office indicated that it is “supporting the family of a British man."
Earlier this month, a British man from Gunnislake, Cornwall, was reported killed while fighting for Ukraine shortly after his 22nd birthday.
In August, Ukraine deployed some of its most experienced troops across the northern border in an attempt to slow Russian advancements elsewhere on the front line and gain leverage. However, since that time, Ukraine has faced significant setbacks in Donbass, experiencing more than 34,500 casualties and losing hundreds of tanks in Kursk, according to the Russian military.
Ukraine is facing challenges in replenishing its troops as the flow of volunteer fighters has significantly decreased, yet the nation has repeatedly rejected any compromise with Moscow. Russia claims that Ukrainians are being used as “cannon fodder” in what it describes as a Western proxy war, alleging that Ukraine's leader, Vladimir Zelensky, is complicit in the violence as he seeks to maintain his power.
Moscow has characterized the Ukrainian incursion as a critical turning point in the conflict, asserting that peace talks cannot occur until all Ukrainian forces are withdrawn from the Kursk Region.
Meanwhile, the UK remains dedicated to supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes” to succeed, as noted by British Defense Secretary John Healey in a recent post on X. London is also following the US's lead by allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied missiles to strike deeper into Russian territory, signaling a further escalation in the conflict.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
According to reports from RIA Novosti and TASS news agencies, the individual identified himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson and was taken into custody near the village of Plekhovo, about 5 kilometers inside Russian territory. Russian Telegram channels have released several videos of his interrogation.
Anderson mentioned that he served in the British Army with the 1st Signal Brigade, 22 Signal Regiment, 252 Squadron from 2019 to 2023. Following his departure from the military, he faced financial hardships and chose to join the International Legion after seeing a television advertisement. “It was a stupid idea,” he said. “I had just lost everything – my job, and my dad was away in prison.”
He recounted that he applied online to join the Ukrainian foreign mercenary force and subsequently traveled from London to Krakow, Poland, before taking a bus to Medyka at the Ukraine border. In another video, Anderson explained that he ended up fighting on Russian soil because his commanders sent him there against his will. “I don’t want to be here,” he stated, claiming his commanders confiscated his “s**t,” including his passport and smartphone, and told him to “get into the car."
The UK Ministry of Defence has not commented on the capture of the former serviceman. In response to reports of his detention, the Foreign Office indicated that it is “supporting the family of a British man."
Earlier this month, a British man from Gunnislake, Cornwall, was reported killed while fighting for Ukraine shortly after his 22nd birthday.
In August, Ukraine deployed some of its most experienced troops across the northern border in an attempt to slow Russian advancements elsewhere on the front line and gain leverage. However, since that time, Ukraine has faced significant setbacks in Donbass, experiencing more than 34,500 casualties and losing hundreds of tanks in Kursk, according to the Russian military.
Ukraine is facing challenges in replenishing its troops as the flow of volunteer fighters has significantly decreased, yet the nation has repeatedly rejected any compromise with Moscow. Russia claims that Ukrainians are being used as “cannon fodder” in what it describes as a Western proxy war, alleging that Ukraine's leader, Vladimir Zelensky, is complicit in the violence as he seeks to maintain his power.
Moscow has characterized the Ukrainian incursion as a critical turning point in the conflict, asserting that peace talks cannot occur until all Ukrainian forces are withdrawn from the Kursk Region.
Meanwhile, the UK remains dedicated to supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes” to succeed, as noted by British Defense Secretary John Healey in a recent post on X. London is also following the US's lead by allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied missiles to strike deeper into Russian territory, signaling a further escalation in the conflict.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
