CHECK – Ukraine: does the testimony of a captured British soldier prove the United Kingdom’s involvement in the war?

Is the UK actively participating in the war in Ukraine? Viewed almost two million times (new window) on X, the testimony of a soldier taken prisoner by the Russian army gives fodder to pro-Russian accounts. Given that the man in the image is presented as being of British nationality, it would be evidence of “the direct involvement of the United Kingdom in the war with Russia”. We checked.

A video posted on Telegram

As is often the case in the conflict in Ukraine, the testimony of this young man in uniform comes to us from Telegram. On November 24, the channel “rustroyka 1945” published the video (new window) and states in the caption that “the Kursk group captured this m…., from the Misty Albion”, old name for England. According to TASS (new window)the soldier was taken prisoner in the Russian region of Kursk, where the Ukrainian army has made a breakthrough since August. The Russian press agency mentions the capture of a “British mercenary”. Indeed, the man is not a member of the British army. At least, he isn’t anymore.

According to the translation of the first extract posted online, the young man says his name is “James Scott Rhys Anderson” and being born on “May 24, 2002”. He then says: “I was in the British Army before, from 2019 to 2023. 22nd Signal Regiment, private, I was a signal officer […] I was fired from my job, I applied on the International Legion web page, I had just lost everything.” In the second extract, he indicates having “flew to Krakow, Poland, from London. Took the bus to Medyka, Poland, on the border with Ukraine.”

After being dismissed from the army, James Scott Anderson joined the Ukrainian Foreign Legion and it was as a soldier in the latter that he was captured by the Russian army. This legion was created in 2022, after the Russian invasion, and “is made up of infantry battalions and special battalions”according to the Ukrainian government (new window). It is home to legionnaires of more than 50 different nationalities, including “teams are integrated into some of the most important brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

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Au Daily Mail (new window), James Scott Anderson’s father confirms that the latter was a switchman for the International Legion in Ukraine. Scott Anderson told the newspaper he begged him not to go to the country about eight months ago. Without success: “He thought what he was doing was right.”he confides while saying he hopes that his son “will serve as a currency of exchange” in the negotiations with the Russians. For his part, the British Foreign Minister spoke about this case (new window) and assured to do everything possible “to offer this British national all possible support.”

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