'We stand in support of Ukraine': Government response to Barnsley man fighting for Russia
Bradley Townsend, from Barnsley, has gone to fight for Putin in eastern Ukraine.
The Prime Minister and the Government “stand steadfast in support of Ukraine”, Downing Street has said in response to revelations that a Barnsley man has gone to Russia to fight for Vladimir Putin.
Bradley Townsend, a self-described “normal working class lad from Yorkshire”, appeared in a video with two Britons - Ben Stimson, 49, and Aiden Minnis, 39 - who have been given Russian citizenship for fighting in the occupied Donbas region.
Townsend said he was there to fight for Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, and has accepted “that I wouldn’t be able to go home, I’d definitely get persecuted if I went back”.
He claimed the way the war has been portrayed in the UK by Sir Keir Starmer and the Government has left people “completely brainwashed”.
In response, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman told The Yorkshire Post: “We stand steadfast in support of Ukraine.
"That support has not wavered in the face of ongoing attacks in the Middle East - that’s where our focus is and where everyone’s focus should be.”