Ukraine war: Yorkshire 'lad' believed to be first Briton to die fighting for Russia

A former fisherman from South Yorkshire is believed to have become the first British citizen to die fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

Barnsley man Bradley Townsend is thought to have been killed on 10 June by a suicide drone near Lyman in the Donetsk region, his comrades said.

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The 33-year-old left Britain for Russia in April to join its forces, despite having no previous military experience.

Before his death, Mr Townsend described himself as a "normal working-class lad from Yorkshire" who wanted to help pro-Russian forces in the Donbas region because it had supported striking Yorkshire miners in the 1980s, and he wished to "repay that favour".

In a YouTube video by the "International Volunteers Association", which is dedicated to "international veterans of the Russian armed forces", he said he came to Russia with the idea that he "probably wouldn't be able to go home".

"I'd definitely get persecuted if I went back," he said in the footage, which was uploaded in April.

"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," Mr Townsend added.

'He answered the call'

Another Briton enlisted with Russia's army, Aiden Minnis, paid tribute on social media, referring to him by his call sign, "Badger".

"He made the journey from Great Britain to Russia, he chose to walk in his grandfather's footsteps and answered the call to fight fascism," he wrote on Facebook.

"I had the pleasure of spending some time with Bradley before he decided to sign his contract.

"We discussed the danger he would be facing, but he insisted that his mind was made up and he wanted to help the people of Russia defeat the Nazis."

Vladimir Putin and others in his government have falsely claimed throughout the war that Ukraine is under "Nazi control".

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LBC reports Mr Townsend told his family he was going to Romania when he left the UK in April.

Former security minister Tom Tugendhat told the radio station he was "very sorry for him and his family" but added that joining up with Russia's army was "unbelievably stupid".

"It's extremely misguided. And, you know, it's 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."

Mr Townsend's death comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Ukraine to mark the country's independence day, where both countries signed an AI defence partnership, and the UK also agreed to give Kyiv blueprints to produce Storm Shadow missiles.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which advises against all travel to Russia, said it's aware of reports that a British national has died in Ukraine and is in contact with his family.

It also advises that anyone travelling to Russia to join its army or help others engaged in the war could be prosecuted on return to the UK.

(c) Sky News 2026: Ukraine war: Yorkshire 'lad' believed to be first Briton to die fighting for Russia