A BRITISH man has reportedly been captured by Russian forces while fighting for Ukraine.
In a widely circulated video posted on Sunday, the man says his name is James Scott Rhys Anderson, aged 22.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said “we will do all we can” to support the man, who said he was an ex-British Army soldier who signed up to fight for Ukraine’s International Legion.
In the footage, he is dressed in combat fatigues and speaks with an English accent while appearing to have his hands tied.
He says to the camera: “I was in the British Army before, from 2019 to 2023, 22 Signal Regiment. Just a private. I was a signalman. One Signal Brigade, 22 Signal Regiment, 252 Squadron.”
He says he signed up to fight for Ukraine’s International Legion after losing his job.
“When I left, I got fired from my job, I applied on the International Legion webpage. I had just lost everything. I just lost my job.
“I see it on the TV,” he adds, shaking his head. “It was a stupid idea.”
He describes how he 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.
He said he tried to convince his son not to join the Ukrainian military, and now he fears for his safety.
Speaking in Italy, Lammy told reporters: “I have been updated about that development in the last couple of days and of course we will do all we can to offer this UK national all the support we can.”
Russian state news agency Tass reported that a military source said a “UK mercenary” had been “taken prisoner in the Kursk area” of Russia.
