I’m willing to die for Russia, says traitor
Brit thug claims he is laying landmines on front
ONE of two British mercenaries fighting for Russia in Ukraine has boasted he is willing to die for his new comrades.
Ex-National Front thug Aiden Minnis says he is the only foreigner serving in his company, which is in Luhansk, a mostly Russian-held region of eastern Ukraine at the centre of intense fighting.
The convicted criminal claims he lays landmines and explosives as part of his front-line duties.
Minnis, 37, says he is “doing the Lord’s work” by helping Putin fight the illegal war that has killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians since it began in February 2022.
He said: “If I thought of death I wouldn’t be able to do my job, I just react, do and follow orders.
“I want to live and I plan to live, but it’s in God’s hands. I’m prepared to die for the cause if necessary.” Minnis, of Chippenham, Wilts, claims his proudest moment since joining up in January was “swearing an oath to Russia and standing with my unit as the national anthem played”.
We revealed yesterday he and Ben Stimson, 48, of Oldham, Gtr Manchester, are the first known Brits fighting for Russia in Ukraine. They have been branded traitors by former British Army commander Colonel Richard Kemp. Speaking to the Mirror hours before our story was published, Minnis claimed he had been “diverted at the last minute” and was “in a forest awaiting orders”.
Minnis, who described his role as a “sapper”– combat engineer, said: “I went out in early 2023 to join a unit, but I didn’t prepare myself correctly, so went home, and came out in December last year.”
He says police held him under the Terrorism Act on the way to Russia, but added: “They knew what I was doing but didn’t have the evidence to arrest me for it.”
Asked if he has ever killed anyone himself, he replied: “I’m not going to answer that.”
Disowned by most of his family and friends, Minnis, who says he is of Irish heritage, said: “They are upset but most aren’t very political. They don’t really understand the reasons.”
He claims the Russian soldiers are his family, although he doesn’t speak Russian. Minnis said: “They are my brothers, I trust them and I’ll die for them.”
He has no plans to return to the UK. “I will stay here,” he said. “I’m in the process of obtaining a Russian passport as we speak. I will be a Russian citizen.”
And Minnis claimed President Vladimir Putin “is still the greatest politician on earth and of the past century”.
Following our expose, Ben Stimson, in a YouTube video, said: “A soldier’s a soldier, the world over, you can make your voice to join whatever army you want.” His father Martin said: “His actions are not those of a sane normal English man and are not condoned or supported by myself and the rest of his family.”
Patrik Hermansson, of HOPE not hate, said: “The war occupies a significant space in the imagination of the British far-right. That creates a risk of drawing more individuals down this path.”
The Russian propaganda machine went into overdrive after our revelations yesterday, with media commentators saying that the pair had “deliberately chosen the right side of history”.
The Mirror was yesterday contacted by antiterror police who arranged for the collection of our evidence on the two men.
If I thought of death I wouldn’t be able to do my job
AIDEN MINNIS BRIT FIGHTING IN UKRAINE