British man dies fighting for Russia in Ukraine conflict

Bradley Townsend, a 33-year-old from Barnsley, has died while fighting for Russia in Ukraine. He was killed by a drone on 10 June in the Donetsk region, near the city of Lyman. He is the first known British citizen to die on the Russian side in this war.

Townsend worked as a fisherman before he joined Russian forces. He left home in April 2024, telling his family he was travelling to Romania. Instead, he went to Moscow, where he met two other British fighters, Aiden Minnis and Ben Stimson. He then signed a contract with the Russian military, despite having no previous military experience.

In a video recorded in April, he described himself as a "normal working-class lad from Yorkshire."