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A British man captured fighting on the Ukrainian side in Russia’s Kursk region will face terrorism and mercenary charges that could see him jailed for years, Russian state investigators said yesterday.
Moscow announced in November that its forces had captured James Anderson, describing him as a former British soldier.
Meanwhile, Russian forces are focusing their attacks on the outskirts of the key eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk amid reports of heavy troop losses.
Around half of Russian attacks across the 620-mile front have focused on the area around the city, seen as a gateway to the rest of the Donetsk region, over the last week, Kyiv said.
“The enemy is trying to advance around the clock,” Maksym Bakulin, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian National Guard units fighting in Pokrovsk, said.
The Russian defence ministry claimed its troops had taken control of the village of Novoielyzavetivka, less than 10 miles to the southwest of Pokrovsk.
The Ukrainian military has not confirmed Russia’s claims but DeepState, a Ukrainian war tracker known to have close ties to the military, records the town as being occupied.
A Russian drone strikes an apartment building in Ukraine, killing at least 4
A Russian drone blasted a hole in an apartment building in northeastern Ukraine during a nighttime attack, killing at least four people and injuring nine others, officials said yesterday.
The Shahed drone blew out a wall and surrounding windows in the apartment block in Sumy, a major city, just after 1am, the Sumy regional administration said. A child was among the injured, it said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called it “a terrible tragedy, a terrible Russian crime.”
The war between Russia and Ukraine, which enters its fourth year next month and shows no signs of ending, has killed more than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations.
Arpan Rai31 January 2025 05:00
James Scott Rhys Anderson: Who is ex-British soldier captured in Russia’s Kursk region?
James Scott Rhys Anderson, who says he is a former British soldier, has been captured in Russia’s Kursk region while fighting for Ukraine, according to Russian state media.
The 22-year-old man’s father told the Daily Mail he feared his son would be tortured, while the UK Foreign Office confirmed it was “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention”.
His capture would mark one of the first known cases of a Western national being captured on Russian soil while fighting for Ukraine.
So, who is Mr Anderson, and how did this man come to be captured by Russian forces?
Arpan Rai31 January 2025 04:45
Russia brings terrorism charges against British man caught fighting for Ukraine
A British man captured fighting on the Ukrainian side in Russia’s Kursk region will face terrorism and mercenary charges that could see him jailed for years, Russian state investigators said yesterday.
Moscow announced in November it had captured James Anderson, describing him as a former British soldier.
British foreign minister David Lammy said at the time he was aware of the case and London would do all it could to offer him assistance.
Russia’s Investigative Committee released a video yesterday showing a handcuffed Anderson dressed in a prison uniform with a shaven head, being brought into a room for questioning and confirming his name.
In a statement, it said he would face terrorism and mercenary charges for participating “in an armed conflict as a mercenary on the territory of the Russian Federation for financial remuneration”.
It did not say how Anderson pleaded to the charges, some of which are punishable by up to 20 years in jail.
Arpan Rai31 January 2025 04:11
What Trump’s intel chief pick Tulsi Gabbard thinks of Ukraine and Russia
Over the past nearly four years, US’s incoming director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has repeated Russia’s arguments about its invasion of Ukraine.
She has suggested Moscow had justification to send troops into the neighboring country. She also endorsed Russian claims that the US and Ukraine were involved in dangerous biological research before the war in unfounded claims.
She has criticised the government of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as a “corrupt autocracy” and has expressed sympathy for Russia’s position, given Ukraine’s desire to join Nato, the Western military alliance.
“This war and suffering could have easily been avoided if Biden Admin/Nato had simply acknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns,” she posted on Twitter at the start of Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Arpan Rai31 January 2025 03:30
Sweden donates $1.2bn in aid package to Ukraine
Sweden’s defence minister said the Nordic country had agreed to donate its biggest aid package to Ukraine so far, worth 13.5bn Swedish crowns ($1.23bn).
The aid package is Sweden’s 18th since Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The government is now negotiating with suppliers in Sweden and Europe to supply prioritised equipment such as artillery and drones, defence minister Pal Jonson told a press conference.
Arpan Rai31 January 2025 03:14
Russia says air defences down 17 Ukrainian drones
Russia’s defence ministry said late last night that air defence units had downed 17 Ukrainian drones in four southern regions in a period of just over two hours.
A ministry statement said 11 of the 17 drones were downed between 7.50pm and 10pm Moscow time (1650 GMT and 1900 GMT) over the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces hold a chunk of territory since staging a cross-border incursion last August.
The ministry’s post on Telegram said other drones had been downed in Belgorod and Voronezh regions and in the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
The ministry made no mention of damage or casualties on the ground.
The governor of Voronezh region, Alexander Gusev, said “several” drones had been downed over his region on the Ukrainian border. Gusev said there had been no injuries or damage
Arpan Rai31 January 2025 02:52
The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
Winged explosives weighing up to 1,500 kilograms – and nicknamed the ‘building destroyer’ – have had a devastating impact wherever they have been used, writes Tom Watling. Kyiv is battling them as best it can but needs Western allies to step up and provide more weapons, air defences and ammunition
Tom Watling31 January 2025 02:02
Read More: Ukraine war latest: British man caught fighting for Kyiv faces terror charges
