British ex-soldier James Scott Rhys Anderson has been sentenced to 19 years in a Russian jail after being captured whilst fighting for Ukraine.
Anderson, 22, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, was detained in Russia's Kursk region last November.
He faced charges of terrorism and "mercenary activities" in a trial held behind closed doors.
Anderson is the first known foreign fighter to be captured and sentenced on Russian territory.
James Scott Rhys Anderson was captured in November last year while fighting in Russia
TELEGRAM
The 22-year-old will serve the first five years of his sentence in prison before being transferred to a high-security penal colony for the remaining term.
The trial took place at a military court in Kursk, with Russian state media releasing footage of Anderson in handcuffs and confined to a cage.
According to the court, a Ukrainian soldier from the same unit testified during the proceedings.
Russian investigators claimed Anderson pleaded guilty to the charges.
Anderson previously served as a signalman in the British army's Royal Signals Corps for four years.
He later joined Ukraine's International Legion to fight against Russia following his military service.
In a video interrogation released on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels after his capture, Anderson claimed he had applied to the International Legion after losing his job.
"I see it on the TV. It was a stupid idea," he said in the footage.
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Many foreigners have been fighting as part of the International Legion (file pic)
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Russian investigators accused Anderson of illegally crossing the border into Russia while armed.
He was also charged with carrying out "criminal acts against civilians" and causing "significant harm to property".
The authorities claimed his actions were aimed at "destabilising the activities of the authorities".
Anderson was captured during Ukraine's cross-border offensive in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops have maintained a presence since August despite Russian efforts to remove them.
Anderson's father Scott previously told UK media he had begged his son not to go to Ukraine.
"He wanted to go out there because he thought he was doing what was right," he told the Daily Mail.
He expressed fears his son would be tortured in captivity.
Russia typically treats foreign fighters as mercenaries rather than prisoners of war (file pic)
TELEGRAM
He explained: "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."
Thousands of foreigners have travelled to Ukraine since President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a call in February 2022.
Many joined units such as the International Legion, which operates as part of Ukraine's ground forces.
Russia typically treats foreign fighters as mercenaries rather than prisoners of war.
This means they are not afforded standard protections under international law - protections that Russia regularly violates regardless.
The Foreign Office has not yet commented on Anderson's sentencing.
In November, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the government would provide Anderson with "all the support that we can".
