By Russian forces have reportedly captured a British national fighting for Ukraine in occupied parts of Russia’s Kursk region, state media said Monday, as Moscow’s military accelerated territorial gains and launched unprecedented daylight drone attacks across Ukraine.
James Scott Rhys Anderson, identified by Russian state news agency Tass as a former British army signalman who joined Ukraine’s International Legion, was reportedly serving as an instructor for Ukrainian forces when captured. According to Russian media, Anderson claimed he was deployed to the Kursk region against his will, though these statements couldn’t be independently verified.
“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,” Scott Anderson told Britain’s Daily Mail after receiving confirmation of his son’s capture from Ukrainian commanders. The elder Anderson said he had tried to discourage his son, a four-year military veteran and former police custody officer, from joining Ukrainian forces.
The British Embassy in Moscow confirmed it was “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention” but provided no additional details. If verified, this could mark one of the first known captures of a Western fighter on Russian soil.
The reported capture coincides with significant Russian military advances in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, noted Russian forces are gaining ground at “a significantly quicker rate” than in all of 2023, exploiting detected weaknesses in Ukrainian defenses.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force reported Russia has adapted its drone warfare tactics, launching 145 Shahed drones in daylight hours rather than the typical nighttime attacks. While Ukrainian forces claimed to intercept most drones, a morning missile strike on downtown Kharkiv, using a modified S-400 surface-to-air missile, injured at least 23 people in a residential area, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
The escalation comes as the conflict passes 1,000 days, with Ukraine’s foreign fighter contingent playing an increasingly visible role. The International Legion for Defense of Ukraine, created at President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request in February 2022, has drawn volunteers from 52 countries, though current numbers remain classified. Early reports indicated over 20,000 foreign volunteers joined various Ukrainian military units.
“The presence of foreign fighters has become a significant factor in the conflict,” said military analyst Elena Petrova. “Their capture presents both diplomatic and humanitarian challenges, particularly given concerns about treatment of prisoners on both sides.”
