James Scott Rhys Anderson was found guilty of “activities of mercenaries” and a “terrorist law”, according to the press service of the court.
A British man captured by Russia while he was fighting for Ukraine was sentenced to 19 years in prison, said a Russian court.
James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, was found guilty of the “activities of mercenaries” and a “terrorist law” after a three -day closed military trial in Kursk, the court service for the Region said on Wednesday.
Anderson, who would have been captured in November while he was participating in the cross -border offensive of Ukraine in Kursk, pleaded guilty to the accusations against him, the press service said.
Under the terms of his sentence, Anderson will spend five years in prison before being transferred to a criminal colony to serve the rest of his mandate, according to the press service.
Images published by the court have shown that Anderson nodded silently after the decision was translated for him.
The Office of Foreigners and Commonwealth of the United Kingdom condemned Anderson’s sentence on what she described as false accusations.
“Under international law, prisoners of war cannot be prosecuted for participating in hostilities,” said a spokesperson.
“We demand that Russia respect these obligations, including those under the Geneva conventions, and stop using prisoners of war for political and propaganda purposes.”
In 2022, a court in the Donetsk region occupied by Russia sentenced two British citizens and a Moroccan to death To act as foreign mercenaries and participate in “terrorist” activities.
The three men were then released as part of an exchange of prisoners negotiated by Saudi Arabia.
Speaking shortly after the large -scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time, Dmytro Kuleba, said that more than 20,000 people from 52 countries had volunteer to fight For Kyiv.
