Brit fighting for Russia killed in Donetsk
Bradley Townsend (left) (Photo: Ben Stimson / Telegram)
A 33-year-old UK citizen, Bradley Townsend, was killed in
June 2026 by a drone strike near Lyman in Ukraine’s Donetsk
Oblast, The Telegraph reported
on Aug. 24.
The newspaper noted that he is the first confirmed British national to die while fighting in Ukraine for Russia. A fisherman from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, Townsend traveled from Britain to Russia in April 2026 and joined the Russian army despite having no military experience.
Radio broadcaster LBC
reported that he was likely recruited online by other British pro-Kremlin
fighters, Aiden Minnis and Ben Stimson.
Townsend said he joined the Russian army to “repay the favor” to Donbas miners: miners from the region had donated a month’s wages to miners in Yorkshire during strikes in the 1980s.
Former minister and Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat said he
was “very sorry” for Townsend and his family but called the decision to join
the Russian army “an unbelievably stupid” act.
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