British citizen Bradley Townsend killed in Ukraine while fighting for Russia

Bradley Townsend, a 33-year-old from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was killed on 10 June in Ukraine’s Donetsk region after a remote-controlled FPV drone attack while fighting on the Russian side. The incident marks the first reported death of a British citizen serving Russia in the conflict. Townsend had departed the UK earlier in the year, informing his family he was heading to Romania, and later appeared in a recruitment video alongside Ben Stimson and Aiden Minnis, both also holding Russian citizenship.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said it was aware of the reports and is communicating with his family, while also warning that travel to Ukraine to fight could lead to prosecution under UK law. Minnis announced Townsend’s death using the call sign “Badger” on social media. The case follows other British nationals who have died fighting for Ukraine, but Townsend is the first known Briton killed while aligned with Russian forces.