We will do all we can to support Briton reportedly captured in Ukraine – Lammy

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said “we will do all we can” to support a British man who has reportedly been captured by Russian forces while fighting for Ukraine.

Mr Lammy was asked about the reports regarding the man who identified himself in footage as James Scott Rhys Anderson and said he was an ex-soldier.

Speaking in Italy, Mr Lammy told reporters: “I have been updated about that development in the last couple of days and of course we will do all we can to offer this UK national all the support we can.”

In a video which was widely circulated on Sunday, and first posted on Telegram, the man identifies himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson, aged 22, and says he is 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 says 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 says 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.

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

He describes how he 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.