Father of ‘former British soldier’ captured in Russia fears son will be tortured

The father of former British soldier James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, has expressed his “complete shock” to hear his son had been captured.

Scott Anderson, 41, told the Daily Mail: “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.

“We spoke on WhatsApp almost every day until he went on his most recent operation. He was acting as a signalman. James last came home only a month and a half ago.

“He said his Ukrainian commander had made a promise that he’d contact me if he was ever killed or captured.”

He then detailed how he felt when he received the call: “When he called me and sent the video I was in complete shock and in tears. I could see straight away it was him.

“He looks frightened, scared and worried.”

Mr Anderson said he and other family members had tried to convince his son not to fight for Ukraine before he enlisted around eight months ago.

“I didn’t want him to go. I did try to persuade him not to go – my whole family tried to persuade him,” he told the Daily Mail.

“He wanted to go out there because he thought he was doing what was right. He was dead against what was happening to the Ukrainian people.”

Mr Anderson also confirmed he has been contacted by Foreign Office officials concerning the matter.

Mr Anderson’s comments come as a widely circulated video made the rounds on Sunday, first posted on Telegram.

In the clip, a man identifies himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson.

He adds in the footage that he is aged 22 and a former British Army soldier.

He is dressed in combat fatigues and speaks with an English accent while appearing to have his hands tied.

He said to the camera: “I was in the British Army before, from 2019 to 2023, 22 Signal Regiment. Just a private. I was a signalman. One Signal Brigade, 22 Signal Regiment, 252 Squadron.”

He said he signed up to fight for Ukraine’s International Legion after losing his job.

“When I left, I got fired from my job, I applied on the International Legion webpage. I had just lost everything. I just lost my job,” he said.

“I see it on the TV,” he added, shaking his head. “It was a stupid idea.”

He described how he had travelled to Ukraine from Britain, saying: “I flew to Krakow, Poland, from London Luton. Bus from there to Medyka in Poland, on the Ukraine border.”

Russian state news agency Tass reported that a military source said a “UK mercenary” had been “taken prisoner in the Kursk area” of Russia.

The UK Foreign Office said it was “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention”.

The Ministry of Defence has declined to comment at this stage.