James Scott Rhys Anderson, a British citizen who fought alongside Ukrainian forces, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison in Russia on charges of terrorism and “mercenary activities.”
Anderson, 22, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, was captured by Russian forces in November last year while fighting on the frontlines in the Kursk region of Russia. Russia accused him of illegally crossing the border armed, committing “criminal acts against civilians,” and “undermining the activities of authorities.”
The trial was held behind closed doors in a military court in Kursk, where Anderson pleaded guilty and was photographed in handcuffs.
Anderson is the first foreign fighter captured and sentenced by Russia, which treats foreign fighters in Ukraine as mercenaries and denies them standard prisoner-of-war protections.
Having served as a signals officer in the British Army for four years, Anderson joined Ukraine’s International Legion after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call in February 2022. His family has expressed concern that he may be subjected to torture.
In the summer of 2022, two other British nationals captured in Mariupol were sentenced to death but were later released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
