Bradley Townsend, a 33-year-old from Barnsley who described himself as a “normal Yorkshire lad”, has become the first recognised British national to die fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine. He was killed in a drone attack in the eastern Donetsk region on June 10.
Recruited online and sent to the frontline
Townsend left home in April after telling his family he was travelling to Romania, but instead went to Moscow. He was reportedly recruited online by British pro-Russian fighters Aiden Minnis and Ben Stimson, then signed to fight on the frontline despite having no previous military experience.
He died during a “storm operation” near the city of Lyman. A Russia-linked social media account confirmed his death, describing Townsend, whose callsign was “Badger”, as a “warrior in a holy war” who had “sacrificed his life for the cause”.
His own words and motivations
In April, Townsend told Minnis in a video interview that he was a “normal working-class lad from Yorkshire” who wanted to support Russian forces, but admitted the trip could become a suicide mission. He said: “I came with the idea that I probably wouldn’t be able to go home. I’d definitely get persecuted if I went back. I’m not here for a suicide mission, but I understand that’s what can happen. This was my own decision, I wasn’t pushed into anything.”
Townsend previously said he wanted to fight for the Donbas region to repay support that Soviet miners gave to striking Yorkshire miners in the 1980s. He also claimed British citizens had been “completely brainwashed” by the UK government’s portrayal of the war.
Reactions and consequences
Stimson, jailed in 2017 after joining a Russian-backed militia in Ukraine, insisted he did not recruit Townsend, saying he was “adamant he wanted to go and fight”. In a Telegram tribute, Stimson said Townsend had followed his channels for over two years, and that he had advised him to stay in the UK and support anti-NATO protests at home.
The Foreign Office has been made aware of his death. Tom Tugendhat, the former security minister, condemned Townsend’s decision to join the Russian forces as an “incredibly stupid thing to do”. Townsend was among a small number of British nationals who have chosen to fight alongside the Russian military.
