Yorkshire 'lad' believed to be first Briton to die fighting for Russia
A former fisherman from South Yorkshire is believed to have become the first British citizen to die fighting for Russia in Ukraine.
A British citizen named Bradley Townsend, aged 33, was killed in June 2026 by a drone strike in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, according to The Telegraph's report on August 24. He was the first confirmed British national to lose his life while fighting in Ukraine on behalf of Russia. The newspaper mentioned that Townsend, a fisherman from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, traveled from Britain to Russia in April 2026 to join the Russian army, despite lacking any prior military experience.
He was likely recruited online by fellow British pro-Kremlin fighters, Aiden Minnis and Ben Stimson, as reported by LBC radio broadcaster.
Townsend's decision to join the Russian army was motivated by his desire to "repay the favor" to Donbas miners, who had donated a month's wages to miners in Yorkshire during strikes in the 1980s. Former minister and Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat expressed his condolences to Townsend's family, describing the decision to join the Russian army as "an unbelievably stupid" act.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Brit fighting for Russia killed in Donetsk english.nv.ua
