British fighter for Russia died in Ukraine, UK media say

UK media reported that Bradley Townsend, a 33-year-old Briton who had travelled to fight for Russia in Ukraine, died in June after a remote-controlled drone attack in the eastern Donetsk region.

LBC news radio first reported that Townsend died on June 10. The BBC and other UK outlets also reported his death. Britain's Foreign Office said it was aware of reports that a British national had died in Ukraine and was in contact with his family, but it did not confirm his identity.

Townsend, from South Yorkshire in northern England, said in a video interview posted online in April that he had travelled to Russia to fight on its side in Ukraine. In the video, he described himself as a “normal Yorkshire lad” and said he understood the risks.

Aiden Minnis, another British volunteer fighting for Russia, posted on X on June 14 that Townsend, whose call sign was “Badger”, had fallen near the Donetsk frontline town of Lyman. Ben Stimson, another UK fighter for Russia, said on Telegram the same day that Townsend had been reported killed.

UK media described the case as thought to be the first death of a British volunteer fighting on Moscow's side. Both Ukraine and Russia have recruited foreign fighters during the war, but there are few recorded cases of Britons fighting for Russia.

The British government advises against all travel to Russia. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, after seizing Crimea from Kyiv's control in 2014.