‘JAIL THE TRAITORS’
Ex-Army chiefs condemn British pair fighting for Putin in Ukraine
TWO British ‘traitors’ fighting for Vladimir Putin in Ukraine should face jail if they return to the UK, former Army leaders said last night. Ben Stimson, 48, and Aiden Minnis, 37, have been pictured in videos and posts on social media bragging about volunteering with Russian forces and backing the country’s despotic president.
Stimson, of Oldham, is a convicted terrorist who was jailed for more than five years for fighting with pro-Russian rebels in 2015, the year after Russia annexed Crimea. Minnis, of Chippenham, Wiltshire, is a former drug addict and member of the National Front who has also spent time in prison for violence.
The pair, who are in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, are the first known UK citizens fighting alongside Russian troops in the long-running conflict.
Former Army commander Colonel Richard Kemp described the men as an ‘absolute disgrace’.
‘They are traitors who upon their return to the UK should be arrested and jailed,’ he said. ‘A lot of this is about people who are in search of adventure, maybe they have played too many computer games and watched too many war films, and think it is cool to take part in fighting.
‘The reality is they are fighting in an illegal war, for an illegal cause and should face charges when they return.’
Former head of the Army, General Lord Richard Dannatt, added: ‘ That British citizens should be so extraordinarily misguided to fight for Vladimir Putin is deeply disappointing. If they return to this country they should face a full investigation and possible prosecution.’
General Sir Richard Barrons, former commander of the UK’s Joint Forces Command, told The Sun: ‘ The war in Ukraine is a matter of vital interest and security for the UK, so if you chose to fight for the other side you are opposing the vital interests of your country and you are fighting for the enemy. And there must be consequences. This is the same as fighting for Nazi Germany in World War II.’
A government spokesman said: ‘Reports of British nationals taking part in Putin’s illegal invasion are shocking and their alleged actions are reprehensible. Those who travel from the UK to conflict zones to engage in unlawful activity should expect to be investigated upon their return.’
In one video, Stimson said: ‘Every man takes his choice... a lot of us, the foreign volunteers, have chosen to come over to this side, to the Russian side.’ In another, he filmed soldiers trudging through muddy fields, walking past bodies and landmines.
Minnis, who claims he is of Irish heritage, is pictured on Russia social media site VK holding a semi- automatic weapon and wearing a Russian uniform in front of the Irish flag.
He has described Putin as ‘the greatest politician on earth’ and told the Daily Mirror he was a ‘sapper in the Russian army’.
Stimson was released from prison in June. Last month he sold all his possessions to pay for an air fare to Moscow, but was detained at Manchester Airport and questioned under the Terrorism Act. Although police confiscated his laptop and phones, he was allowed to continue his journey and fly to Russia, via Istanbul, on a three-month visa.
Stimson’s father, Martin, 76, a former town councillor, said he had disowned his son. ‘I’ve cut him off,’ he said. ‘I’ve been looking after Ben on and off for years and years. He’s on his own now.’
Minnis’s step-father, Barry Lang, 51, also said they were estranged, adding: ‘We don’t want anything to do with him.’
Under the Foreign Enlistment Act, it is illegal for British citizens to join armies in countries in conflict with the UK. But because neither the UK nor Nato are at war with Russia, prosecuting them under such legislation could be difficult and terrorism legislation would likely be used instead.
‘Same as fighting for Nazi Germany in war’