A 22-year-old man, previously a signalman in the British Army until 2023, has reportedly been captured in Russia‘s Kursk Region while fighting with the Ukrainian International Legion, a group of foreign recruits that Moscow classifies as mercenaries.

The individual, who identified himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson, was apprehended near the village of Plekhovo, roughly 5 kilometers within Russian territory, as reported by RIA Novosti and TASS news agencies. Various videos of his interrogation have surfaced on Russian Telegram channels.

Anderson mentioned that he served in the British Army as a signalman in the 1st Signal Brigade, 22 Signal Regiment, 252 Squadron from 2019 to 2023. Following his departure from the military, he encountered financial hardships and chose to enlist in Kiev’s International Legion after seeing a television advertisement.

“It was a foolish decision,” he remarked. “I had just lost everything – my job, and my father was incarcerated.”

He stated that he submitted an online application to join the Ukrainian foreign mercenary force, subsequently traveling from London to Krakow, Poland, and then taking a bus to Medyka at the Ukrainian border. When questioned about how he found himself fighting on Russian territory, Anderson asserted in a separate video that his commanders had sent him there against his wishes.

“I don’t want to be here,” he expressed to the interrogators, claiming that his commanders confiscated his belongings, including his passport and smartphone, and ordered him to “get into the car.”

The UK Ministry of Defence has refrained from commenting on the capture of the former serviceman, while the Foreign Office indicated that it is “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention,” as reported by The Guardian.

Earlier this month, a British man from Gunnislake, Cornwall, was reported killed while fighting for Kiev at an “undisclosed location,” just shy of his 22nd birthday, according to his family.

In August, Kiev deployed some of its most well-equipped and experienced troops to the northern border, aiming to impede Russian advances elsewhere along the front line and secure a significant bargaining position. However, since that time, Kiev has not only been losing ground in Donbass at an accelerating rate but has also incurred over 34,500 casualties and lost hundreds of tanks in Kursk, as reported by the Russian military.

Kiev is facing challenges in replenishing its military forces due to a significant decline in the number of volunteer fighters, while consistently rejecting any negotiations with Moscow. Russia has accused Ukraine of utilizing its soldiers as “cannon fodder” in what it describes as a Western proxy conflict, claiming that President Vladimir Zelensky is complicit in the ongoing violence as he aims to maintain his grip on power.

Moscow has characterized the Ukrainian offensive as a critical juncture in the conflict, asserting that peace negotiations cannot commence until all Ukrainian forces are expelled from the Kursk Region.