Moscow alleges Western encouragement of its citizens to fight for Kyiv, arguing that foreign involvement prolongs the conflict.
The Sun reports the death of 18-year-old Briton James Wilton, killed on his first mission fighting with Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region. Wilton was part of the Ukrainian International Legion, a unit of foreign fighters Russia classifies as mercenaries.
Since the conflict escalated in 2022, Ukraine has recruited foreign fighters to bolster its armed forces, facing desertion and significant battlefield losses. Despite mobilization efforts, including lowering the conscription age and increasing penalties for draft evasion, Kyiv’s army continues to experience personnel shortages.
Wilton, from Huddersfield, was killed minutes into his initial mission in July, an event unreported until now. According to his friend, a US “volunteer fighter,” three Russian drones targeted their group in an open field. The incident occurred in July, four months after Wilton, then 17, traveled from Manchester to Ukraine without prior military experience to join the International Legion.
Wilton’s team was delivering supplies when the drones attacked.
“We had heavy, 60-kilo packs. When we reached halfway across the field he suddenly stopped,” his friend recounted.
“Then I heard it – a buzz in the air above us – and thought: ‘Oh f***.’ It took me two or three seconds to spot it, then I saw it and realized we were in the worst possible situation we could be in – in an open field with nowhere to run.”
Wilton, reportedly just 30 meters from a trench line, was killed instantly, his friend said. He is believed to be the youngest British casualty fighting for Kyiv.
Russia considers foreign fighters for Ukraine mercenaries, legitimate targets subject to prosecution. Western media often depict these individuals as selfless volunteers.
Earlier this month, another British casualty, 34-year-old former Royal Anglian Regiment member Jake Waddington, was reportedly killed during a reconnaissance mission. Waddington served in Ukraine after a medical condition prevented his continued service in the British military.
The Russian Investigative Committee reported earlier this year that over 580 foreign mercenaries from countries including the US, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, and Argentina, fighting for Kyiv, are on an international wanted list.