The father of an ex-British soldier who has been captured in Russia fears that his son will be tortured.
James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, enlisted to fight in Ukraine eight months ago, despite his family begging him not to go.
The 22-year-year-old has now been captured by Vladimir Putin’s forces in the Kursk region, and a clip of him dressed in combat gear and with his hands tied has now been widely shared on social media.
“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 said to the camera.
James Scott Rhys Anderson appears to have been captured by Vladimir Putin’s forces in the Kursk region
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Russian state news agency Tass has quoted a military source that said a “UK mercenary” has been “taken prisoner in Kursk”, an area which Ukraine has held following a surprise offensive in August.
Scott Anderson, 41, has said that he is terrified that his son will be harmed by the Russian military.
He told the Daily Mail: “I’m hoping he’ll be used as a bargaining chip but my son told me they torture their prisoners and I’m so frightened he’ll be tortured.”
The father and son would regularly communicate on WhatsApp, and James last came home in September.
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The surprise attack on the Kursk region began on August 6ReutersJames’ Ukrainian commander promised Scott that if anything ever happened to the 22-year-old, he would contact him immediately.
“When he called me and sent the video I was in complete shock and in tears. I could see straight away it was him. He looks frightened, scared and worried,” the 41-year-old said.
“I didn’t want him to go. I did try to persuade him not to go – my whole family tried to persuade him.
“He wanted to go out there because he thought he was doing what was right. He was dead against what was happening to the Ukrainian people.”
In the video, which was posted on Telegram, the 22-year-old said he regrets signing up to fight for Ukraine.
Anderson has now been captured by Vladimir Putin’s forces in the Kursk region
REUTERS
“So when I got fired from my job I applied on the International Legion webpage. I had just lost everything, I had just lost my job. My dad was away in prison. I saw it on the TV,” he said, shaking his head. “It was a stupid idea.”
The Foreign Office said it was “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention”.
On the Telegram app, the user who posted the video said: “The Kursk group captured this piece of s— from foggy Albion. Welcome to Russia, scum.”
On August 6, over 1,000 Ukrainian troops smashed through the Russian border and into the region, seizing 500 square miles of the area.
Kyiv has since lost 40 per cent of this territory, according to reports.