Briton who fought for Ukraine sentenced to 19 years in prison in Russia
James Scott Rhys Anderson - a British citizen who fought alongside the Ukrainian army - has been sentenced in Russia to 19 years in prison on charges of terrorism and "mercenary activities".
Anderson, 22, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, was captured by Russian forces in November last year while fighting on the side of Ukraine during the border offensive in Russia's Kursk region, reports The Guardian, follow KosovaPress.
Russia accused him of illegally crossing the border into Russia, being armed and committing "criminal acts against civilians" and "undermining the activities of the authorities."
The trial took place behind closed doors in a military court in Kursk, where Anderson pleaded guilty and was photographed in handcuffs.
Anderson is the first foreign fighter captured and sentenced on Russian territory, as Russia treats them as foreign mercenaries fighting with Ukraine and does not grant them the standard protections of prisoners of war.
Anderson, who had served as a signalman in the British Army for four years, joined the Ukrainian International Legion following Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call in February 2022, according to the BBC. KosovaPress.
His family has expressed fears that he may be tortured.
In the summer of 2022, two Britons captured in Mariupol were sentenced to death and later released as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
