Russia jails UK man for 19 years for fighting for Ukraine

A Russian court has sentenced a British man who was kidnapped by Russia while fighting for Ukraine to 19 years in prison.

After a three-day closed military trial in Kursk, James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, was found guilty of “mercenary activities” and a “terrorist act,” according to the court press service for the area on Wednesday.

Anderson, who allegedly participated in Ukraine’s cross-border offensive in Kursk in November, entered a guilty plea, according to the press service.

According to the press release, Anderson will spend five years in prison before being transferred to a penal colony to serve the rest of his sentence.

Anderson nodded incessantly after the court’s videotape translated the decision for him.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the United Kingdom criticized Anderson’s sentence for making false allegations.

Prisoners of war cannot be tried for engaging in hostilities, according to a spokesperson.

We demand that Russia abide by these obligations, including those imposed by the Geneva Conventions, and that it stop using prisoners of war for propaganda and political purposes.

Two British citizens and a Moroccan were given the death penalty in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region in 2022 for engaging in “terrorist” activities and serving as foreign mercenaries.

The three men were later freed as part of a Saudi Arabian prisoner-exchange.