Briton James Scott Rhys Anderson Jailed in Russia for Fighting for Ukraine

A British man James, Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, was convicted of “mercenary activities” and a “terrorist act” by a Russian court in Kursk on Wednesday, March 5, and was sentenced to 19 years in jail.

Russian state media TASS claimed in November 2024 that Anderson was working as an instructor for Ukrainian troops and was captured in Russia’s Kursk region at the time.

A Russian court in Kursk said the trial was held behind closed doors, where a Ukrainian soldier in Anderson’s unit reportedly served as a witness.

The court said Anderson pled guilty and is to serve the first five years in a Russian prison and the “remaining term in a maximum security penal colony” in its Wednesday press release. However, it said the verdict “has not entered into legal force and can be appealed.”

Anderson’s family told The Guardian that Anderson served four years in the British Army’s Royal Signals Corps between 2019 and 2023, after which he joined Ukraine’s International Foreign Legion.

Britain’s Foreign Office dismissed the Russian allegation as “false charges” and said Anderson should be treated as a prisoner of war, not a mercenary.

“We demand that Russia respect these obligations, including those under the Geneva Conventions, and stop using Prisoners of War for political and propaganda purposes,” it said in a statement.

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Foreign nationals can join the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and become an official service member of Ukraine – not mercenaries – through the International Legion, a military unit founded after Moscow launched its 2022 full-scale invasion, that primarily consisted of foreign volunteers.

However, foreign nationals are only eligible for non-officer roles, though military and combat experience is only a preferred but not mandatory requirement.

At the onset of the invasion, Russia captured two British men serving with the Ukrainian Marines in Mariupol, including former care worker Aiden Aslin, who served in the Ukrainian Marines since 2018. The two were later freed in a prisoner swap mediated by Saudi Arabia.