This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
A British national fighting for Ukraine has reportedly been captured by Russian forces in Russia’s Kursk region, marking a significant development in the ongoing war.
A video released on pro-Russian Telegram channels and TASS news agency over the weekend shows a man in a military uniform identifying himself as 22-year-old James Scott Rhys Anderson from the United Kingdom.
Speaking with a clear English accent, Anderson says he previously served as a signalman in the British Army until 2023 and later joined Ukraine’s International Legion to fight against Russia. The footage has not been independently verified, and it remains unclear when or where the video was recorded.
Anderson’s alleged capture highlights the broader involvement of foreign volunteers in Ukraine’s resistance against Russia.
Since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s 2022 call for international recruits, thousands of fighters have joined the conflict, many enlisting in the International Legion, a highly selective unit integrated into Ukraine’s ground forces.
The British man’s capture also comes amid shifting dynamics in the Kursk region. While Ukraine initially gained significant ground in its August offensive, recent reports suggest it has lost over 40 percent of the territory it seized.
Russia’s apparent use of North Korean soldiers in the region and its push to reclaim lost ground signal a deepening of the war, while Ukraine’s cross-border operations represent a bold challenge to Moscow’s defenses.
As the war drags on, the fate of foreign fighters like Anderson remains emblematic of the broader stakes and human costs of this conflict.
