A British traitor who joined the Russian army in Ukraine to help Putin with his bloody, unprovoked war claims he has been granted Russian citizenship.
Aiden Minnis, 37, from Chippenham, fled to take up arms for the Russian tyrant when war broke out in 2022, along with 48-year-old Ben Stimson from Oldham. They fought alongside Kremlin forces in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Donbas.
Minnis, a former member of the far-right National Front, has proudly declared that he “hates” Britain and previously called Britain a “fascist state”, just weeks after Putin won a sham election in Russia that left his opponents dead or were imprisoned.
Now Minnis, who has also been convicted of a racist attack, has pledged his allegiance to Russia and its dictator, proudly showing off a video of his Russian passport.
‘I have a Russian passport. I am Russian now,” he said.
Aiden Minnis (pictured), 37 from Chippenham traveled to Ukraine in January. He claims he has been granted Russian citizenship
Minnis fled Britain to take up arms for the Russian tyrant when war broke out in 2022
Minnis was undoubtedly granted citizenship in the country because Putin’s cronies see him as a useful propaganda tool
“I am relieved because I now know that I am safe, safe from persecution in Britain, safe from false and false accusations just because I want to come and fight for Russia and fight for a just cause and the people of the Donbas.”
He was undoubtedly granted citizenship in the country because Putin’s cronies see him as a useful propaganda tool.
The passport he held up to the camera is an internal ID that is not valid for foreign travel. This means that his new nationality will not save him from prosecution and imprisonment in Britain, nor from extradition to Britain if he ever returns to the West.
He used to promised to continue putting killed Ukrainians and English mercenaries ‘in wooden boxes’.
In his most recent video, he reiterated his disgust for Britain and his joy at his new passport, which makes him “officially Russian.”
“Of course I’m happy,” said Minnis, who claims to have found love in Russia. ‘I’m starting a new life in Russia. I’m Russian now. I’m happy to be Russian. I repeat that I condemn my country or origin.
“I hate what they have done to the people of Donbas and Russia and what they are still doing. And I’m looking forward to starting a new life.’
Minnis added that he expects Putin’s military to immediately send him to the front lines.
The passport he held up to the camera is an internal ID that is not valid for foreign travel
Minnis added that he expects Putin’s military to immediately send him to the front lines
Ben Stimson – who fled to Russia with Minnis – has now complained he has not received his passport
Minnis, a former member of the far-right National Front with a conviction for a racist attack, said Putin is still ‘the greatest politician on earth’
Stimson (left) is pictured on the front line, dressed in Russian uniforms and posing in front of a Russian flag
‘After my holiday I’m going to a storm battalion. So it just gets harder for me,” he said. I know it’s dangerous. War is dangerous.’
The video was made by Kremlin-affiliated propaganda media outlet Readovka.
The agency, along with Putin-supporting politicians in the Russian republic of Udmurtia – home to the Kalashnikov weapons factory – was involved in rushing through his citizenship.
Former drug addict Minnis, who Putin called “still the greatest politician in the world,” traveled to Ukraine in January and calls himself a “Z Patriot” and a “sapper in the Russian army.”
At home he is rejected by his family, who claim they want ‘nothing to do with him’.
A British government spokesperson previously said of his case: ‘Reports of British nationals taking part in an illegal invasion are shocking and their alleged actions are reprehensible.
‘Those who travel from Britain to conflict areas to engage in unlawful activities can expect to be investigated on their return.’
Stimpson, who traveled with Minnis, has now complained that he has not yet received his Russian passport
Former drug addict Minnis, who called Putin “still the greatest politician in the world.”
Stimpson, who traveled with Minnis, has now complained that he has not yet received his Russian passport.
“I still don’t have my documents,” he said. ‘I have three weeks left on my visa and then I will run out of time.’
Stimpson, who was previously jailed in Britain for committing terrorist acts, previously said he had been granted ‘political asylum’ in Russia.
Stimson previously boasted that he feels like “a hero and a minor celebrity” in Russia and asked: “Why should I come back [to the UK]?’
Military figures in Britain have called for jail time for the treacherous pair.
Former head of the British Army, General Lord Richard Dannatt, previously said: ‘That British citizens have been so grossly misled into fighting for Vladimir Putin is deeply disappointing.
“If they return to this country, they must face a full investigation and possible prosecution.”
Former army commander Colonel Richard Kemp called the men an ‘absolute disgrace’.
‘They are traitors who should be arrested and jailed on their return to Britain.’
According to reports, Minnis has a history of violence, including racist attacks and beating up homeless people.
Citizenship in Russia is granted in the name of the Russian president.