A former British Army soldier previously believed to have been killed fighting for Ukraine has appeared in a new propaganda video after being captured by Russia.
Hayden William Davies, 30, from Southampton, had been taken prisoner in Donetsk region after joining Ukraine’s foreign legion. In the Russian propaganda video released after his capture, Mr Davies – who is likely reading out words given to him by his captors under duress – appears to say he was kicked out of the British Army in 2023 and decided to fight for Ukraine.
He is now likely to face a trial in Russia and a potential long prison sentence. Pro-Putin war and propaganda channels have claimed his capture as a victory. One said: “Curiosity and stupidity brought him to Ukraine, where everyone is accepted. He surrendered just to save himself.”
Another Russian channel that monitors foreign fighters had believed Davies was killed in action before he turned up as a prisoner of war taken by Vladimir Putin’s troops. The new video of Mr Davies was filmed by his Russian captors, and he is likely to speaking under duress or to a pre-arranged script. The Mirror has chosen not to show the video.
Footage of Mr Davies appears to be used by Kremlin propagandists as an attempt to dissuade foreigners from fighting for Ukraine. He says: “I was based in North Yorkshire in England, and my regiment was the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
“I decided to go to Ukraine. You fly to Poland and then get a coach from like Krakow over to wherever the signing centre is….mine was in a city called Ternopil. Obviously with the International Legion, you sign a contract and you’re brainwashed into thinking that you’re in the right….”
In the next part of the video, he is seen claiming he did not receive proper training from Ukrainian forces because there were no heavy guns to use in military drills. He then gives an account of how he was taken prisoner, appearing to portray his captors in a favourable light. He says: “I heard a drone, so I got straight in a building and I seen another guy. I knew he was Russian, like [from his] uniform. And when he realised I wasn’t a threat, his weapon was down. He gave me a cigarette. Literally carried me into safety. Out of the way of all the drones and artillery that was coming in.”
In a final warning to foreign fighters, he then says: “If you come to Ukraine and you’re a foreigner, with me being an exception… you will get killed like everyone will die. And it’s not pretty, it’s not nice, and Ukraine won’t care about it either.” Since the start of the war in February 2022, a number of British nationals fighting in Ukraine have been killed or captured by Putin’s forces. Other UK nationals carrying humanitarian work have also been detained by Russian authorities.
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