Thu Mar 06 02:33:57 UTC 2025: ## Briton Sentenced to 19 Years in Russian Prison for Fighting in Ukraine
**Moscow, Russia** – A British national, James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, has been sentenced to 19 years in a Russian prison for “mercenary activities” and a “terrorist act,” according to the Kursk regional court press service. Anderson was captured in November during a Ukrainian cross-border offensive in the Kursk region. He pleaded guilty during a three-day closed military trial. His sentence includes five years in prison before transfer to a penal colony.
Video footage released by the court shows Anderson silently acknowledging the verdict after translation. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office strongly condemned the sentence, stating that under international law, prisoners of war cannot be prosecuted for participating in hostilities and demanding Russia adhere to the Geneva Conventions. They further criticized Russia’s use of prisoners of war for political and propaganda purposes.
This conviction follows the sentencing of two other British citizens and a Moroccan to death in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region last year on similar charges. Those three were later released in a prisoner exchange. The incident highlights the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the risks faced by foreign nationals fighting on either side. Ukraine reported over 20,000 foreign volunteers joining their fight in the early stages of the conflict.
First Piper 