A British former instructor and mercenary named James Scott Rees Anderson says Ukrainian commanders ordered his deployment to Russia’s Kursk region without his consent. The claim has circulated in media coverage of his capture and adds to the wider conversation about foreign fighters and instructors involved in the conflict. The account touches on questions about command structures, consent, and the risks faced by international volunteers in a volatile war. It ties his on the ground activities to a prior career that included training and advising Ukrainian troops, illustrating how a single testimony can illuminate the complex web of loyalties and obligations that cross national lines.
Anderson claims that Ukrainian command confiscated his passport and his phone, with the words man, come on written on the passport itself. He says he did not want to be in the Kursk region and characterizes the gesture as pressure rather than consent. The passport seizure, he says, left him with restricted movement and a sense that his autonomy had been overridden in a high stakes environment. Observers say such claims, if true, would complicate the legal and ethical considerations surrounding foreign personnel embedded in Ukrainian forces.
The Englishman also says that he served as a private in the Ukrainian Armed Forces for about four months. Prior to that period, he trained Ukrainian military personnel at a training ground near the village of Ingulets in the Dnepropetrovsk region, sharing with them the skills he learned in the British army. The connection between his training role and the duties he carried out on the battlefield is a central thread in his narrative. He stresses that his work emphasized practical competencies drawn from years in the UK army, including the discipline and adaptability required to operate in varied conditions.
Anderson said he received basic training in marksmanship, tactics and medical evacuation. The skills were developed in the British ground forces, and he also served four years in the Signal Corps. He explains that marksmanship, movement, and the ability to coordinate evacuations were foundational to his approach in Ukraine. Analysts point out that cross training like this can lead to a blend of infantry and communications capabilities, which in turn shapes how foreign volunteers are deployed and perceived.
Since August 6, Russian armed forces have been engaging Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region, and the area has been described as operating under a counter-terrorism regime by August 10. The situation has prompted scrutiny of foreign involvement in the war and the complexities of who is directing and approving deployments. Earlier expert commentary touched on discussions about connections between Colombian mercenaries in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and U.S.-controlled drug cartels, a narrative that continues to fuel debates about external influence in the conflict.