Russia jails Briton it accuses of fighting as mercenary for Ukraine in Kursk

PHOTO CAPTION: James Scott Rhys Anderson pictured prior to his reported capture by Russian forces (Telegram photo via the Guardian)

MOSCOW (Reuters) -     A Russian court jailed a British man for 19 years on Wednesday after he was found guilty of fighting for Ukraine in the Kursk region of western Russia.

The court said James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, had been charged with terrorist and mercenary offences and found guilty after a closed trial at which a Ukrainian soldier from the same unit was questioned as a witness.

Anderson was sentenced to serve the first five years of his term in prison and the remainder in a penal colony, the court said.

Ukrainian troops broke across the border into Kursk region on August 6 last year, and still hold some territory there seven months later, despite attempts by Russian forces to eject them.

Investigators accused Anderson of illegally crossing into Kursk in November as part of an armed group that committed unspecified "criminal acts against civilians".

Russian state media published video showing him being led in handcuffs and locked in a cage of the kind where defendants in Russian court cases are placed.

After he was captured, a pro-war Russian social media channel published a recording of an interrogation in which Anderson said he had served in the British army from 2019-2023 before deciding to join the foreign legion of Ukraine's armed forces, something he called a "stupid idea".     

 (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Gareth Jones)