A British man fighting against Ukraine for Vladimir Putin has lost an eye and suffered ‘serious’ chest and leg wounds after his infantry vehicle was hit by an artillery shell, a Russian propagandist has claimed.
War correspondent Yuri Kotenok said that Glasgow-born Ross McElvenny, 25, who went by callsign ‘Whisky’, is currently in a hospital in Rostov-on-Don after suffering the injuries while fighting in Russia‘s 1099th Motorised Rifle Regiment.
The Brit, who is understood to be from Newton Mearns, in East Renfrewshire, reportedly took to social media to speak to his pro-Putin followers, though he did not specify what his injuries were.
‘My name is Ross, callsign Whisky, but you may know me as Scotlandetz,’ he said.
Describing himself as ‘volunteer from Scotland’, he added: ‘I am currently recovering in hospital as I was wounded while fighting near Donetsk direction.
‘I am in positive spirits though and have plenty of friends helping me.
Glasgow-born Ross McElvenny (pictured) is said to currently be in a hospital in Rostov-on-Don
The Brit is understood to be from Newton Mearns, in Scotland’s East Renfrewshire
Yuri Kotenok (pictured) claimed McElvenny was in hospital after his vehicle was hit by an artillery shell
‘I would like to extend a massive thank you to the generous volunteer networks who brought me supplies. I finally got my hands on some of my favourite coffee for the first time in ages.
‘I would also like to thank [the] medical staff for the hard work they do. I also can’t forget those who send me lovely messages, people I’ve known for a while now, who continue to check in with me frequently. You guys are awesome.’
Leaked documents appeared to verify his position as a volunteer in Russia’s army.
A certificate circulating on Telegram appeared to confirm he was undergoing military service as a private in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, signed by Lieutenant Colonel Yury Kuznetsov.
He was recruited on August 10 2024. His monthly pay in Putin’s forces is shown as 13,318 roubles – or £105.70.
Despite this, McElvenny faces possible deportation from Russia, given his status as a British citizen, according to Kotenok, who said: ‘The problem is that he has no Russian citizenship. He came here on a tourist visa.
‘They want to dismiss him from [military] service because of his injury.
A certificate circulating on Telegram appeared to confirm he was undergoing military service as a private in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
A handout picture made available by the National Police of Ukraine shows the site of a glide bomb attack on a residential area in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, 11 November 2024
‘Without Russian citizenship, he faces expulsion and return to the UK.
‘The security services are waiting for him there, having already raided and searched his parents’ home. He will be imprisoned for fighting for us.’
Under UK law, it would indeed be illegal for McElvenny to be fighting for Russia.
Section 4 of the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 states: ‘It is an offence for a British subject to enlist in the military of a foreign state at war with another foreign state with which the UK is at peace.’
It also states anyone found in breach of the law ‘shall be guilty of an offence against this Act, and shall be punishable by fine and imprisonment, or either of such punishments, at the discretion of the court before which the offender is convicted.’
It comes as Russia is attempting to push Ukrainian forces from its western Kursk region with tens of thousands of troops, Ukraine’s top commander said on Monday, aiming to retake territory it lost in the summer, while its offensive in eastern Ukraine grinds on.
The comment from Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi came a day after the New York Times reported that Moscow had assembled a force of 50,000 troops, including North Korean soldiers, in the region bordering Ukraine for an attack.
‘Carrying out an order of their military leadership, (the Russian forces) are trying to dislodge our troops and advance deep into the territory we control,’ Syrskyi wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Syrskyi made no reference to the possible presence of North Korean troops among the Russian forces.
Western countries, South Korea and Ukraine have all said that North Korea has sent troops to Russia.
Soldiers and the commander learn how to use an RPG launcher during a training of the 24th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ drone unit on shooting with various weapons, medical evacuations, and tactical medicine deployment in Donetsk region, Ukraine on October 26, 2024
The rubble of a destroyed bridge lies on the severely damaged railway tracks on November 10, 2024, in Pokrovsk, Ukraine
Ukrainian firefighters respond to an artillery strike on November 10, 2024 in Pokrovsk, Ukraine
Russia has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean troops on its territory, though President Vladimir Putin signed into law on Saturday a treaty on his country’s strategic partnership with Pyongyang which includes a mutual defence provision.
Ukraine launched its incursion into Kursk in August, seizing settlements in its first such deployment into Russian territory since Moscow launched its February 2022 full-scale invasion.
Russia, however, has continued its slow but steady advance across much of eastern Ukraine, where it is capturing village by village in a bid to seize the entire industrialised Donbas region.
In his statement, Syrskyi said the Kursk operation was still successfully diverting Russian forces from mounting heavier attacks on the eastern front.
‘These tens of thousands of enemies from the best Russian shock units would have stormed our positions in the Pokrovsk, Kurakhiv or Toretsk directions, which would have significantly worsened the situation at the front,’ he said.
The New York Times report, citing a U.S. assessment, said Russia had built up the Kursk force without needing to move troops from eastern Ukraine
