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Briton fighting for Russia killed in Ukraine
The 33-year-old was recruited online and killed by a drone strike after joining Russian forces, the first known Briton to die on that side since 2014.
- Bradley Townsend, a 33-year-old from Barnsley, was killed on June 10 in a "storm operation" by a remote controlled FPV drone in Donetsk, becoming the first known British fighter to die fighting for Russia.
- Townsend left his home in Barnsley in April this year, telling family he was going to Romania, but was reportedly recruited online by British pro-Russian fighters Aiden Minnis and Ben Stimson to join the Russian Army.
- Friends described Townsend as a "normal guy" who struggled with mental illness and addiction, while others claimed he was "brainwashed" by recruiters seeking to exploit his vulnerability to support Donbas separatists.
- The Foreign Office is supporting Townsend's family following his death, while recruiters Minnis and Stimson could face terrorism charges if they return to Britain.
- Former security minister Tom Tugendhat condemned the act as "an incredibly stupid thing to do," as Townsend died amid Ukrainian forces making gains along the eastern front against Russian positions.
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Fisherman becomes first Briton to die in Ukraine war fighting for Putin's army
A fisherman from Yorkshire has become the first Briton to die fighting on behalf of Vladimir Putin's army in the Ukraine war.Just 10 weeks after touching down in Moscow, Bradley Townsend, 33, from Barnsley, south Yorkshire, was killed in a "storm operation" by a remote-controlled drone in eastern Ukraine, near the city of Lyman.Four years on from Moscow's illegal invasion of Ukraine, the 33-year-old Putin sympathiser jetted off to the Russian ca…
·London, United Kingdom
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First Brit 'dies' fighting for Putin in Ukraine after 'drone strike'
Bradley Townsend, 33, a fisherman from Barnsley in South Yorkshire left the UK in April to fight alongside Putin’s armed forces before being killed in a drone attack in the Donetsk region of Ukraine
·London, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources14
Leaning Left3Leaning Right6Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution55% Right
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources lean Right
55% Right
L 27%
C 18%
R 55%
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