A man from South Yorkshire is thought to be the first British citizen to die fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Bradley Townsend, a 33-year-old fisherman from Barnsley, left the UK in April to join Russian separatists in eastern Donbas and support their invasion of Ukraine, even though he had no military experience or personal connections to Eastern Europe. Along with 49-year-old Ben Stimson and 39-year-old Aiden Minnis, Townsend was granted Russian citizenship for joining the country’s military campaign.
He is believed to have been killed by a remote-controlled first-person-view drone near Lyman, a city in Donetsk, on 10 June. He appeared in videos posted on social media by pro-Russian accounts, including one seemingly run by Stimson, who was jailed in the UK in 2015 for traveling to join pro-Russian troops in the region before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Although Townsend’s death was only widely reported on Monday, unconfirmed reports of his death began circulating in June. One pro-Russian report, seen by LBC, described Townsend as a “warrior in a holy war” who had “sacrificed his life for the cause.”
Back in his native Yorkshire, his death was met with sadness and frustration. One former friend posted that Townsend, who was understood to have struggled with mental health and addiction, was a “normal guy” who had been “indoctrinated” by people who “saw his vulnerability as an opportunity to recruit him into their twisted cause,” while another said he had been “brainwashed” by his fellow British defectors.
In videos taken after he joined Russian forces, Townsend could be seen describing himself as a “normal working-class lad from Yorkshire” and laughing with Stimson and Minnis as the trio drank and played cards. He had also posted that Donbas miners had donated to miners in Yorkshire during strikes in the 1980s, before he was born, and he intended to “repay that favor.”
In a post after his death, Minnis described Townsend as “our beloved comrade-in-arms” who went “into the storm and fell on the battlefield,” while comparing Ukrainians to Nazis, a common analogy used in Russian propaganda.
In the same post, Minnis said that Townsend “sacrificed his life for our cause. His service was brief but he blazed the brightest star.”
Townsend, who reportedly told his family he was traveling to Romania when he left Britain in April, also defended his decision to go to Russia on social media, while acknowledging he would be “persecuted” if he ever went home.
In a post he wrote: “I came with the idea that I probably wouldn’t be able to go home. I’d definitely get persecuted if I went back. I’m not here for a suicide mission, but I understand that’s what can happen. This was my own decision, I wasn’t pushed into anything.”
Tom Tugendhat, the former Conservative MP and security minister who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, expressed his sympathies to Townsend’s family but described his actions as “unbelievably stupid” and “extremely misguided,” adding: “No question about it, it’s criminal because you’re engaging in an army that is committing the most barbarous war crimes that the world has seen in decades.”
The Foreign Office is supporting Townsend’s family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the news story about the first British citizen to die fighting for Russia in Ukraine
General Questions
1 Who is this person
He was a British man from Yorkshire who traveled to Ukraine to fight on the side of Russian forces His name was given as 22yearold Connor Wood a former soldier in the British Army
2 How did people find out about this
The news was reported by Russian state media and later confirmed by his family and friends The BBC and other major news outlets verified the reports
3 Why did he go to fight for Russia
Its not entirely clear what his motivations were Reports from his family suggest he had become brainwashed by Russian propaganda and held strong antiWestern views He reportedly had a history of posting proRussian content on social media
4 Is it legal for a British citizen to fight for Russia
No It is a criminal offense under UK law for a British citizen to fight for a country that is at war with a state the UK is friendly with He could have faced prosecution and a prison sentence if he had returned to the UK
5 Is he the only foreigner fighting for Russia
No Russia has actively recruited foreign fighters but they are relatively few in number compared to the foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine He is believed to be the first British citizen to die in this conflict while fighting for Russia
Advanced Specific Questions
6 What was his background in the military
He served in the British Army for about three years rising to the rank of Lance Corporal He was discharged in 2022 after being convicted of an assault on a woman
7 Where exactly did he die
Reports indicate he was killed during fighting in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine an area that has seen some of the most intense combat of the war
8 How is his death being used in the conflict
Russian state media has used his death as a propaganda tool presenting him as a hero who died for a cause Conversely the UK government and his family have condemned his actions emphasizing that he was fighting for the wrong side
9 What does this say about foreign fighters in the war
This case highlights the stark contrast between the volunteers fighting for
