Russia has paraded a British prisoner of war on Vladimir Putin’s tightly controlled state media, as the young man faces the grim prospect of up to 30 years in a brutal penal colony. James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, was seen hunched over and escorted by an armed guard as he was dragged from his cell for questioning by the autocrat’s mouthpieces.
His responses seemed rehearsed, suggesting he’d been prepped on what to say. In a brazen move, Russia also trotted out the faceless Black Sea marines commander responsible for capturing Anderson, claiming Ukrainian forces wanted him dead to prevent his capture by Moscow.
The Brit, who previously served in the UK army, was captured last weekend while fighting alongside Ukrainian troops. He has resigned himself to a lengthy prison term, with an expected sentence of 20 to 30 years, while his family back home fear he may be subjected to torture.
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Facing charges of terrorism, acting as a mercenary, invading Russia, and crimes against civilians, Anderson bleakly noted, “I think my future is I spend a lot of time here…in Russia. I’m not sure when I’ll ever go home (to Banbury). It could be, if I’m lucky, maybe my government would help. But truthfully, it’s going to be…20 to 30 years I’m going to spend in Russia because I decided it was a good idea to help Ukraine.”
He recounted how he had dismissed his family’s pleas not to return to Ukraine. He told state-funded Readovka propaganda outlet: “All the time when I’m in my cell, I’m always thinking about how my mum and dad said ‘Don’t go back, don’t go back’,” adding wistfully, “I wish, I wish I never did.”
According to Kremlin-backed media, he was earning around £315 per month, with a bonus of £47 for mission days. And talking with state news agency RIA Novosti, Anderson said that he it was a bad move for Ukraine, with Western backing, to muscle into Russia’s Kursk region, where he waved the white flag.
“We shouldn’t be here – the Russians really don’t want us here,” he admitted. “They have a lot more weapons, a lot more manpower.They will do everything to get you out.If you’re lucky, you’re captured, but you’re going to spend 20 or 30 years in a Russian prison, which itself is not nice.”
A Russian platoon commander, identified only by his callsign ‘Bach’, has alleged that Briton Anderson was orchestrating Ukrainian forces before their surrender, as his team rescued the captives amidst heavy conflict and brought them to Russian-controlled areas. In an interview with TASS state media, Bach revealed: “They gradually began to talk, to surrender,” adding, “There was a foreign man organising the battle, then we found out it was a Briton.”
He detailed the tense moments of encounter: “We just came up and said, surrender lads, you’re surrounded. The Briton immediately threw down his foreign machine gun.”
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