What We Know About British Troop Reportedly Captured by Russia in Ukraine
November 25, 2024
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A former British soldier was reportedly captured by Russian troops this week as he fought alongside Ukrainian troops in the ongoing war between the two nations.
Who Is the Soldier?
Russian state news agency Tass and other outlets identified the Briton as James Scott Rhys Anderson. According to Tass, Anderson stated he had served as a signalman in the British Army for four years before joining Ukraine’s International Legion, a military unit established during Russia’s nearly three-year war against its neighbor.
According to reports, the captured Briton had been working as an instructor for Ukrainian forces before being sent to Russia’s Kursk region against his will. In a video released by Tass, he is heard speaking in English, saying that he didn’t want to be “here.”
While the report has not been independently verified, if confirmed, it would mark one of the first known instances of a Western national being captured on Russian soil while fighting for Ukraine.
The British Embassy in Moscow confirmed it is “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention” but declined to provide additional details.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet responded to requests for comment.
This photo from the Russian Defense Ministry press service shows a Russian self-propelled rocket launcher on November 25, 2024. On Monday, reports said a former British troop was captured by Russian troops in Ukraine. This photo from the Russian Defense Ministry press service shows a Russian self-propelled rocket launcher on November 25, 2024. On Monday, reports said a former British troop was captured by Russian troops in Ukraine. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
Scott Anderson, the soldier’s father, told the British newspaper Daily Mail that he was notified of his son’s capture by his Ukrainian commander.
According to Scott Anderson, his son spent four years in the British military before briefly working as a police custody officer and then heading to Ukraine to join the fight. Anderson said he had tried to dissuade his son from joining the Ukrainian forces and now fears for his safety.
“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,” the father told the British newspaper.
Russia-Ukraine War
Ukrainian troops are struggling to repel intensified Russian offensives in the eastern Donetsk region, where Moscow’s larger military has made recent gains. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank, reported that Russian forces have advanced at “a significantly quicker rate” in recent weeks than during all of last year.
In a Sunday analysis, the ISW noted that Russian forces have identified and are capitalizing on vulnerabilities within Ukraine’s defenses.
The conflict surpassed the 1,000-day mark last week, a milestone that coincided with a sharp escalation in fighting.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia is shifting its drone strategies, launching 145 Shahed drones in recent attacks against Ukrainian targets. In a midday strike, a Russian ballistic missile hit the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, wounding 10 people as it detonated in the downtown area, according to local officials.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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