A British man fighting Ukraine for Vladimir Putin has lost an eye and suffered “serious” chest and leg wounds after his infantry vehicle was hit by an artillery shell, a Russian propagandist has claimed.
War correspondent Yuri Kotenok said Glasgow-born Ross McElvenny, 25, who goes by the nickname ‘Whisky’, is currently in a hospital in Rostov-on-Don after sustaining injuries while fighting in the Russian 1099th Motorized Rifle Regiment.
The Briton, who is believed to be from Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, has reportedly taken to social media to speak to his pro-Putin supporters, although he did not specify what his injuries were.
“My name is Ross, nickname Whiskey, but you may know me as Scotlandetz,” he said.
Describing himself as a ‘volunteer from Scotland’, he added: ‘I am currently recovering in hospital because I was injured in fighting near Donetsk.
‘However, I am in a positive mood and have many friends who help me.
Glasgow-born Ross McElvenny (pictured) is currently in hospital in Rostov-on-Don
The Brit is said to come from Newton Mearns, in East Renfrewshire, Scotland
Yuri Kotenok (pictured) claimed McElvenny was in hospital after his vehicle was hit by an artillery shell
“I would like to express my sincere thanks to the generous volunteer networks who brought me supplies. For the first time in a while, I finally got my hands on some of my favorite coffee.
‘I would also like to thank the medical staff for the hard work they do. I also can’t forget those who send me sweet messages, people I’ve known for a while, who continue to check in with me regularly. You guys are amazing.”
Leaked documents appeared to confirm his position as a volunteer in the Russian army.
A certificate circulated on Telegram seemed to confirm that he performed military service as a soldier in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, signed by Lieutenant Colonel Yury Kuznetsov.
He was recruited on August 10, 2024. His monthly salary in Putin’s armed forces is 13,318 rubles – or £105.70.
Despite this, McElvenny faces possible deportation from Russia given his status as a British citizen, according to Kotenok, who said: “The problem is that he does not have Russian citizenship. He came here on a tourist visa.
‘They want to discharge him from (military) service because of his injury.
A certificate circulated on Telegram appeared to confirm that he performed military service as a soldier in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
A photo made available by the National Police of Ukraine shows the site of a slide bomb attack on a residential area in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, November 11, 2024
‘Without Russian citizenship he risks deportation and return to Britain.
‘The security services are waiting for him there, having already raided his parents’ house. He will be imprisoned for fighting for us.”
Indeed, under British law it would be illegal for McElvenny to fight for Russia.
Section 4 of the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 states: ‘It is an offense for a British subject to enlist in the army of a foreign state which is at war with another foreign state with which Great Britain is at peace.’
It also states that anyone who violates the law “shall be guilty of an offense against this law, and shall be punished with fine and imprisonment, or any of these penalties, at the discretion of the court in which the offender is convicted.”
It comes as Russia tries to push Ukrainian forces out of the western Kursk region with tens of thousands of troops, Ukraine’s top commander said on Monday, aiming to recapture territory it lost in the summer as the offensive in eastern Ukraine continues continues.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi’s comment came a day after the New York Times reported that Moscow had assembled a force of 50,000 troops, including North Korean soldiers, in the region bordering Ukraine for an attack.
“Russian forces are carrying out an order from their military leadership and are trying to drive out our troops and advance deep into the area we control,” Syrskyi wrote on the messaging app Telegram.
Syrskyi made no mention of the possible presence of North Korean troops among Russian forces.
Western countries, South Korea and Ukraine have all said North Korea has sent troops to Russia.
Soldiers and the commander learn how to use an RPG launcher during a training of the drone unit of the 24th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on shooting with various weapons, medical evacuations and deployment of tactical medicine in the Donetsk region, Ukraine on 26 October 2024
The rubble of a destroyed bridge lies on the heavily damaged railway lines in Pokrovsk, Ukraine on November 10, 2024
Ukrainian firefighters respond to an artillery attack on November 10, 2024 in Pokrovsk, Ukraine
Russia has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean troops on its territory, although President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a treaty on his country’s strategic partnership with Pyongyang that includes a provision for mutual defense.
Ukraine launched its incursion into Kursk in August, capturing settlements in its first such deployment into Russian territory since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
However, Russia has continued its slow but steady advance through much of eastern Ukraine, conquering village by village in an attempt to control the entire industrialized Donbas region.
In his statement, Syrskyi said the Kursk operation still successfully managed to distract Russian forces from carrying out heavier attacks on the eastern front.
“These tens of thousands of enemies of the best Russian shock units would have stormed our positions in the Pokrovsk, Kurakhiv or Toretsk directions, which would have significantly worsened the situation on the front,” he said.
The New York Times report, citing a US assessment, said Russia had built up the Kursk force without having to move troops from eastern Ukraine.