Briton fighting for Russia killed in Ukraine

A British national has been killed in Ukraine while fighting for Russia.

Bradley Townsend is said to have died following an attack by a remote-controlled FPV drone in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. His death, on 10 June, is believed to be the first of a British citizen fighting for Russia in the conflict.

The 33-year-old left his home in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, earlier this year after telling his family he was going to Romania, according to the Yorkshire Post.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) confirmed it was aware of reports a British national had died in Ukraine, adding it was in contact with his family.

The news emerged as Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv for his first foreign trip as UK prime minister.

The visit coincides with the 35th anniversary of the country's independence from the Soviet Union.

The government has agreed to hand over blueprints for British-made components for the Scalp missile, a French version of the UK's Storm Shadow cruise missile - allowing Ukraine to produce the weapon domestically.

In a video shared online on 4 April, Townsend featured alongside Ben Stimson and Aiden Minnis - who were given Russian citizenship for fighting in the occupied Donbas region.

In the video, uploaded to a Russian recruitment account, Townsend described himself as "a normal working-class lad from Yorkshire".

In the video, filmed by Stimson with Minnis interviewing Townsend, he discussed the implications of his decision to leave the UK and fight for Russia.

Townsend said: "I came with the idea that I probably won't be able to go home, definitely get persecuted if I went back."

He later added: "I'm not here for a suicide mission, but I understand that's what can happen."

Stimson, from Oldham, and Minnis, from Wiltshire, are believed to be the first British nationals fighting for Russian president Vladimir Putin since he ordered the full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Stimson was previously jailed in the UK in 2015 for joining pro-Russian separatists in the east of Ukraine.

Minnis announced the death of Townsend, using the Yorkshireman's call sign of Badger, in a social media post.

The FCDO said it advised against all travel to Russia and "our ability to provide consular support in these circumstances is severely limited".

Its foreign travel advice for Ukraine warns travelling to Ukraine to fight or to assist others engaged in the war may amount to offences under UK legislation.

"You could be prosecuted on your return to the UK," it adds.

A number of British nationals have been killed during the war.

However, they have all been fighting for Ukraine, following Russia's attacks on the country since 2022.

Townsend is thought to be the second man from Yorkshire to die during the war, with 18-year-old James Wilton, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, killed in 2024 after he volunteered to fight for Ukraine.

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