A British veteran has reaffirmed that he is ‘proud to stand with Ukraine’ after discovering his name and picture are on a Russian wanted list.
Fraser Good told Metro that being featured on the flawed database was a ‘badge of honour’ in view of his service, which has included fighting in some of the war’s most intense battles.
The list also includes British nationals who have died in humanitarian missions or on active service against Vladimir Putin’s forces — with a ‘destroyed’ tag added alongside some names.
Fraser served in the hottest parts of the front including the battle for Kyiv, the liberation of Irpin and around Kharkiv before sustaining major injuries from a tank round as he and a handful of comrades held the line against a massive Russian advance in Donetsk.
He said: ‘It would be nice for them to get at least one date right and the details are all off as well.
‘I definitely see being named on the list as a badge of honour.
‘If anything, I want the enemy to know who I am because I am proud to stand with Ukraine.’
The combat veteran, 27, originally from Northamptonshire, was in the British Army for seven years and has been living in Ukraine since March 2022, where he is currently out of contract with the military.
He has already been a target for Russia’s propaganda disseminators — including two claims that he had been killed in the war zone.
Responding on Facebook, he said: ‘Me and the boys will not stop until Ukraine is free. It’s as simple as that.
‘Your propaganda and politics bore us all and have done for as long as I can remember. Swipe for a surprise… Yep, that’s me.
‘Very much alive and very much smiling with more than 1 eye taken from this morning. God, you all bore me.
‘I absolutely love proving each and every single one of you wrong each and every single time.’
While the list has purportedly been put together by pro-Russian volunteers, personal details under entries, including phone numbers and email addresses, suggest the information has been obtained by nefarious means, possibly in concert with Kremlin sources.
Under the entries are trumped-up criminal charges which could be to ensure the individuals can be given harsh punishments or traded for high value prisoners held by Ukraine and her allies if they are caught.
In total, Metro spoke to three British nationals and one American man, none of whom were unaware they were on the list.
The website has a Russian URL and an IP address in Rostov-on-Don, a heavily militarised city in the south of the country.
A Scotsman also named in the database branded Putin ‘an evil little bastard’ after being informed by Metro about his inclusion.
Mike Marley, who had 20 years of service in the British Army before leaving for civilian life, told Metro he had enquired about joining the International Legion of the Defence of Ukraine before changing his mind.
In November 2023, Russian media channels reported that hackers from the a group called Joker DPR had published the names and personal information of more than 500 applicants for the Legion.
Metro has reached out to the formation for comment.
‘They have obviously got hold of documents from people who have enquired about going to Ukraine,’ Mr Marley said.
‘I was going to go but I decided at my age I was too old with too many injuries. They must have got hold of documentation from the International Legion which has probably had my name on it.
‘It’s a bit alarming that they have got hold of my information.
‘In practical terms though all it probably means is that I can’t go to Russia now, which I wouldn’t want to do anyway.’
Mr Marley also remained defiant in his views about Putin and his all-out attack on Ukraine as Russia continues to bombard the country with drone and missile attacks and pours men into attacks in the east.
The veteran said: ‘Putin is an evil little bastard.
‘He wants the old USSR back and if people think he’s going to stop at Ukraine they must be under some kind of illusion.
‘He’s not going to stop until he has as much of the old USSR back as he can. That’s why we need to stop him at the border with Ukraine.’
Dozens of other Brits featured on the list include former Royal Marine Commando Ben Grant, the son of Conservative MP Helen Grant, who volunteered to fight for Kyiv in 2022 but has since left the warzone.
Grant is currently direction of operations, Middle East, for the Global Empowerment Mission, a US-headquartered charity.
David Baldwin, a retired US Major General who has been involved in enhancing Ukraine’s armed forces and security services, also had a defiant response to being featured in the database.
He told Metro: ‘My reaction is that getting placed on the Russian list merely compels me to do yet more to help the Ukrainians and anyone else fighting tyranny and oppression around the globe.’
Mediazona, an independent Russian media outlet, has scraped information from a separate wanted list maintained by the federation’s Ministry of Internal Affairs for a searchable database on its website.
Editor Mika Golubosvky told Metro: ‘There are more than 165,000 names published of people wanted by Russia, including 46,000 who are missing.
‘Then you have other categories such as foreign nationals fighting for Ukraine’s armed forces, including British citizens and people from the US and Georgia, and Russians.
‘I don’t think anyone hopes to arrest them as they are not in countries which have extradition treaties with Russia.’
Mediazona assesses the official database to be a bureaucratic exercise by a regime that has the ‘artificial’ appearance of a functioning government.
Mr Golubosvky said: ‘The list is not well-publicised and it is probably some kind of bureaucratic exercise, such as a KPI where they feel have to do something with names they have already received, such as through the Rybar social media channels.
‘The database shows how artificial the Russian regime is, with the routine bureaucracy taking place as people are imprisoned on trumped up charges in terrible conditions.’
Moscow is escalating its ‘grey zone’ war with the West in light of Washington giving Kyiv permission for long-range weapons strikes at targets within Russia’s lawful borders.
MI5 director-general Ken McCallum has warned that ‘Putin’s henchmen’ are seeking to ‘generate mayhem’ on British and European streets.
Incidents which have led to speculation about a Russian link include an incendiary device which caught fire in a package at a DHL warehouse near Birmingham.
Counter-terrorism officers are reportedly investigating whether Russian operatives are behind the incident on July 22, which involved the blaze taking place after the parcel was flown into the country.
Defence chief Sir Tony Radakin said on Wednesday: ‘From Russia we have seen wild threats of tactical nuclear use, large scale nuclear exercises and simulated attacks against NATO countries, all designed to coerce us from taking the action required to maintain stability.’
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advice states that anyone travelling to Ukraine to fight could be prosecuted on their return to the UK. The guidance also warns that British nationals fighting in Ukraine have been killed or captured and others undertaking humanitarian work have been detained by the Russian authorities.
The FCDO maintains that ‘the risk to life, or of mistreatment, is high.’
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