A British man who joined Russian forces in Ukraine has bragged about receiving a military medal for “wiping out” Ukrainians, sparking outrage and calls for him to be prosecuted if he ever returns to the UK.
Aiden Minnis, 38, originally from Chippenham, Wiltshire, left the UK in 2022 to fight for Vladimir Putin’s army after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He now claims to be serving in a Russian motorised rifle regiment in the Kharkiv region, where he says he takes part in frontline assaults and trench-clearing operations.
Minnis, a convicted criminal and former drug addict, was one of two British nationals exposed in a Daily Mirror investigation last year for fighting on behalf of Russia. Both men face potential arrest under UK terrorism laws if they return home.
This month, Minnis claimed he had been awarded the Suvorov Medal, a Russian military decoration given to ground troops for acts of combat bravery, for killing Ukrainian soldiers.
Speaking to reports, he said: “I was given the medal for wiping out numerous khokhols [a racial slur for Ukrainians]. I hope I get many more for killing the fascists and eliminating the Nazi scourge.”
Minnis added: “I work as a stormtrooper, basically infantry and assault. Trench clearing. Eliminating enemy positions.”
From Convict to Kremlin Fighter
Before joining the war, Minnis had a long history of violence in the UK. In December 2008, he was jailed for four years for a racially motivated attack in Swindon, where he smashed a bottle of port over a man’s head in an unprovoked assault. Two months later, he robbed one man of his wallet and punched another during a separate attempted robbery. He was also arrested for attacking a homeless man.
Minnis initially served as a sapper, a combat engineer responsible for laying mines and explosives, in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, before moving to the Kharkiv frontlines as an infantryman.
In an interview with RT, the Kremlin-backed news outlet, Minnis described life in the trenches as brutal. “It’s impossible to relax or switch off. Every day there are drones, mortars and tank shells.”
He claims to have survived “many near-miss experiences” and says he was seriously wounded last year when a kamikaze drone hit a dugout. “I was left with a fractured leg and multiple shrapnel wounds. I was in hospital for months,” he said.
Despite this, he insisted: “Although it’s very hard fighting, it must be done.”
Defecting and Disowned
Minnis, who married a Russian woman and was granted Russian citizenship in 2023, has repeatedly voiced support for Putin and disdain for Britain.
He has previously described the UK as a “fascist state” and said he is willing to die for Putin, whom he calls “the greatest politician on Earth”.
“My parents disowned me,” he told the Mirror. “We always had a difficult relationship, and they believe what they see on TV. Many friends turned away from me too. But that only showed they were never real friends to begin with.”
“I’ve found freedom here. Russia took care of me. I got citizenship, got married, bought a house. None of that would’ve happened in my homeland,” he added.
Minnis also spoke of the emotional toll of combat. “That’s the hardest part. You get to know people on the deepest level, and then they make the ultimate sacrifice. It’s happened many times.”
Second Brit Fighting for Putin
Another British man identified as fighting for Russia is Ben Stimson, 49, from Oldham, Lancashire. He was also exposed by the Mirror last year and is believed to still be active on the frontlines.
In one video, Stimson was seen walking through a battlefield littered with bodies of Ukrainian soldiers and digging up a grenade. He, too, has reportedly been disowned by his father.
Calls for Arrest and Prosecution
Retired British Army commander Colonel Richard Kemp has condemned both men as traitors.
“These two are an absolute disgrace,” he said. “They’re traitors who, upon returning to the UK, should be arrested and jailed. They clearly have no understanding of who the real enemy is.”
Under UK anti-terrorism legislation, anyone fighting for a hostile foreign military can face prosecution, especially if aligned with forces accused of war crimes.
