Captured British soldier’s Ukrainian unit lost huge chunks of battleground in Russia’s Kursk region as fighters were ‘outmanned, outgunned and poorly equipped’

A former British soldier captured by Kremlin forces in southern Russia wanted to leave his Ukrainian army unit due to security reasons, the Mail has been told.

James Anderson, 22, was fighting in the strategically important Kursk province in southern Russia last week when his trench was stormed by enemy forces.

After a battle involving grenades, he was one of ten Ukrainian Army soldiers arrested as prisoners of war.

A disturbing video recorded by the Russians – in clear breach of the Geneva Convention – showed the former Royal Corps of Signals soldier tied up and being interrogated.

Another former British soldier, who left the same unit several weeks ago, claims Ukrainian officers exposed James and his colleagues.

The former infantryman, named “Mike,” said James had wanted to transfer because of these issues, but felt honored to continue the mission in Kursk.

Thousands of Ukrainian troops, assisted by international volunteers, hold out in an enclave surrounded by Russian and North Korean soldiers.

Mr Anderson imagined being paraded in front of cameras published online by Kremlin-backed sources

After a battle involving grenades, he was one of ten soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces arrested as prisoners of war

James was part of the Ukrainian expeditionary force that invaded Russia in August, stunning the Kremlin and seizing nearly 1,400 square kilometers of territory

James was part of the Ukrainian expeditionary force that invaded Russia in August, stunning the Kremlin and seizing nearly 1,400 square kilometers of territory.

But despite their efforts, Ukraine has lost as much as 40 percent of that battlefield – because its soldiers were outgunned, outgunned and, according to Mike, ill-equipped.

It is considered essential that Ukraine retains territory within Russia as a bargaining chip in peace talks expected next year.

Mike said: ‘There was a lack of drone reconnaissance so our situational awareness would be compromised. It frustrated James and I, we felt like the commanders weren’t doing enough to protect us.

‘The Russians are advancing in large numbers and their artillery is raining down on us. But we can’t see them coming because we don’t have our eyes on them.

‘Kursk was strategically a risk for Ukraine. We were disappointed that we were not sufficiently equipped to hold out.

“James wanted to switch units. But as he was, he felt involved in the unit we were in.’

The British veteran’s warnings about the safety of his own troops came as Ukraine fired more US ballistic missiles at Kursk.

Kyiv’s use of ATACMs earlier today/yesterday is a challenging move as it follows Russia’s devastating response to its earlier salvo.

After Ukraine fired the missiles gifted by the US and Britain into southern Russia for the first time, the Kremlin significantly upped the ante.

Mr Anderson Sr said he said his son would not be stopped from going to Ukraine because ‘he thought what he was doing was right’

James with his sister. He had served four years in the Army and had gone to Army Foundation College as a 17-year-old

In the footage released by his captors, Mr Anderson can be heard describing his decision to fight for Ukraine on Russian soil as a “stupid idea”.

Mr. Anderson had served in the Army for four years, having attended Army Foundation College as a 17-year-old

Vladimir Putin’s forces fired an Oreshnik hypersonic missile into Ukraine – destroying an arms factory in the central city of Dnipro on Thursday.

Today’s attack by Ukraine marked the first use of foreign high-end missiles since Putin’s dramatic escalation of the conflict.

The ATACMs targeted an airfield near Kursk and destroyed a Russian S-400 air defense system, a radar station and two missile launchers, according to reports.

Wave after wave of Russian counterattacks have forced Ukrainian units to withdraw from the areas around Kursk and raised fears that Russia could retake the entire enclave in the coming months.

More than 50,000 Kremlin soldiers have gathered, while a reported 10,000 North Koreans are being trained to take part in what could be a decisive battle.

Mike said James was a popular, respected figure within the unit and was known for his love of animals, particularly stray dogs and ducks.

He was also committed to improving the well-being of the Ukrainian people. According to Mike, he wasn’t a “mercenary.”

“We have waited a long time for our wages and it is less than the minimum wage in Britain,” he said.

James Anderson with his father Scott Anderson. The 41-year-old said he and other family members begged his son not to go to Ukraine before he joined about eight months ago.

Mr. Anderson senior, who said he had been serving a short prison sentence for a domestic matter when his son joined the Ukrainians, said he has been contacted by State Department officials.

Mr Anderson Sr with James’s grandmother Jacqueline Payne

‘We had £400pcm when we were behind the front line, £1,000pcm when we were ahead and we got an extra £60 a day when we were in direct fighting.

“If he wasn’t so committed to the cause, James wouldn’t have been captured.

‘He had really proven himself, despite having a background in the armed forces and not in an infantry regiment.

‘Because he used to be in the Royal Corps of Signals, we got him to fix the internet. Otherwise, his communications background was not really used.

“Most of the battle is shot and the majority of soldiers are luck, 80 percent luck, 20 percent skill. No one knows where it will land.

“We are not trained in how to resist interrogation or how to deal with capture. However, he seemed very composed in the video. I don’t think they’ll kill him. He is a propaganda tool.”

Mike said James was deployed to Ukraine in April, initially joining the country’s International Battalion before being transferred to the Ukrainian Defense Force.

Frustratingly for the British recruits, the force received only basic military training.

Mike and James’ colleagues were not part of the UK’s Operation Interflex programme, which trained 50,000 Ukrainians in this country.

Mike added that Ukraine must be “realistic” about what it can achieve, both on the battlefield and in post-conflict negotiations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin records a televised speech in Moscow

Tragically, the country will not get back the territory that Russia illegally seized, says Mike.

He also questioned Britain’s permission for Ukraine to fire British Storm Shadow ballistic missiles at internationally recognized Russian sovereign territory.

He said: ‘I think that was poking the bear, capturing territory in Kursk and allowing them to fire Storm Shadows into Russia. So I’m not surprised how Russia responded.

“Fighting will not win the war on either side. There will have to be talks and Ukraine will have to give up areas such as the Donbas and Crimea.’

James’ grandmother, Jacqueline Payne, 60, told the Mail yesterday that he was definitely not in it for the money.

“He was only paid £400 or £800 a time and he had a well-paid job here in Britain,” she said.

Mrs Payne, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, continued: ‘His reason for going there has always been that he wants to help the Ukrainian people because he trained as a soldier in the British Army. That never changed, but he did say he hoped to go back and train their soldiers instead of continuing to fight on the front lines.”