It is reported that Russian forces have captured a British national who was fighting for Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia.
A video published by pro-Russian channels on Telegram and news agency TASS over the weekend shows a man in military uniform, who identifies himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson, a 22-year-old from the United Kingdom.
Speaking with a clear British accent, Anderson states that he previously served as a signals operator in the British Army until 2023, and later joined the International Legion of Ukraine to fight against Russia.
The video has not been independently verified, and it is unclear when and where it was filmed.
The suspected capture of Anderson highlights the widespread involvement of foreign volunteers in Ukraine’s resistance against Russia.
Since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for international recruitment in 2022, thousands of fighters have joined the conflict. Most of them have enlisted in the International Legion, a highly selective unit integrated into Ukraine’s land forces.
The capture of the Briton also comes at a time of changing dynamics in the Kursk region.
While Ukraine gained significant territorial space during its incursion in August, it is now reported that it has lost over 40 percent of that territory.
The use of North Korean soldiers by Russia in this region and its push to recapture lost territory indicate that the war is intensifying, while Ukraine’s operations across the border demonstrate its courageous challenge to Russian defenses.
As the war continues, the fate of foreign fighters, like Anderson, remains a symbol of the great risks and human losses caused by this conflict.
