The soldier was allegedly detained in the Ukrainian-occupied Kursk region of Russia, according to claims made by Kremlin media. He claims to have served in the British Army before travelling to Ukraine
Vladimir Putin’s forces claimed on Sunday to have taken prisoner a British mercenary fighting for Ukraine inside Russia.
The British veteran was detained in the Ukrainian-occupied Kursk region of Russia, according to the Kremlin media. He claims to have served in a unit of the British Army for four years. He says he was fired from the British Army and then applied successfully to join Ukraine’s International Brigade as a mercenary.
The reason he was allegedly fired is not currently known. A Russian military source told state-controlled TASS news agency: “A mercenary from Britain has been taken prisoner in the Kursk region.”
A Russian report said: “Overall, the footage will be useful and will be able to tell a lot of interesting things about communications and its structure in the British Army.” A FCDO Spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention.”
Ukraine holds several hundred square kilometres of Russia’s Kursk region, but Putin’s forces are gradually pushing them back. North Korean troops sent to help Putin have been deployed in this region.
It comes after claims that a Storm Shadow strike launched by Ukraine last week killed hundreds of North Korean Troopers and a Russian general. A Russian general and 18 Putin officers were reported lost, with a further 18 reportedly wounded. Earlier it was reported that a Kim Jong Un general had been wounded as he commanded troops backing Putin’s invasion. The toll relates to the November 20 attack by Ukraine – the first to use UK Storm Shadow missiles deep inside Russia.
It was known the pinpoint missiles had hit a Putin command post and military facility, and the strike reportedly killed Lt-Gen Valery Solodchuk. Russian authorities have not confirmed losses which would be grievous to both Russia and North Korea if confirmed, and the reports are yet to be independently verified.
Tensions are continuing to rise after Putin warned the world he has a “right to use our weapons against” countries aiding Ukraine. Nations like the UK and US have been adamant in their support of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s continued campaign against invading forces.
Putin said: “We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against military facilities of the countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities. And in case of escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond resolutely in a mirror way.”
Andrei Kelin, the Russian ambassador to the UK, has since suggested the US, France and the UK has escalated the situation between Ukraine and Russia, leading some to believe it could be, as the Moscow representative called it, a “collision between the nuclear powers,” Sky News reported. He said: “The US administration, support by France and the UK, has made a deliberate decision to make these strikes, which seriously escalates the situation, and it can bring a collision between the nuclear powers.”
