Scot in Putin's army says Russia is ‘last bastion of common sense'

Times

a day ago

Jay Fraser, a former brewery worker with ultra-conservative and seemingly antisemitic views, has been serving in a volunteer unit of the Russian army since last year.
It has never been clear exactly how the 24-year-old Scot and a handful of other Britons ended up enlisting in the Kremlin's invading force.
For the first time, Fraser has hinted that before he signed up he received military training in an unnamed Balkan country. He made the revelation in an interview with a pro-Kremlin newspaper published in occupied eastern Ukraine.
'My sergeant likes to say that the training ground is not for real, it is playing at war, and that the real school is where the bullets are whistling,' he said.
'And he is right. When shells are bursting over your head and you can hear the cries of the wounded over the radio, that is when you understand what real war is.'
The claim he was trained in the Balkans was published last month in Donetsky Kryazh, a Russian-language paper in the annexed Donetsk region.
Fraser, who uses the call sign 'Kelt', later said on X that the journalist 'used some artistic licence but it is still pretty true to me'.
The Scot, who is said to have converted to Russian Orthodox Christianity, is serving in a unit called Pyatnashka, which was originally formed in the unrecognised and self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic.
An international brigade, now incorporated into the Russian military, it is understood to include a number of Orthodox Serbs.
It was claimed in 2023 that there were pro-Russian paramilitary training camps in the Republika Srpska, an autonomous Serb region in Bosnia. These were vociferously denied.
There are very few Britons believed to be serving in the Russian military. Another Scot, Ross McElvenny, lost an eye in action last year. Englishmen Benjamin Stimson and Aiden Minnis were also highlighted in state media. It is not clear how they were all recruited.
Fraser in the latest report talked more about his ideology. Originally from Perthshire, his social media feeds contained antisemitic portrayals of Jews, calls for the 're-migration' of immigrants and support for President Putin.
Speaking to Donetsky Kryazh, he claimed to support Scottish independence but loathe the SNP.
'Our proud nation is slowly but surely surrendering to an onslaught of liberal insanity,' he told the paper. 'We have become hostages to financial handouts from Westminster, and are selling our souls for sterling, and in return we get an illusion of prosperity.'
In strikingly flowery language, he added: 'The soul of Scotland is still flickering but London is doing everything it can to extinguish the last flames. I don't think we should sacrifice our sovereignty for money, so I support independence.
'The spirit and soul of Scotland have definitely been oppressed. But when it comes to the values that are being put forward, Scotland is worse than the rest of Britain. For example, the SNP, which fights for independence, is the most liberal party in Britain.'
This and other statements by Fraser echoed Putinist talking points about Scotland being a debauched liberal hellhole. Earlier this week a senior Kremlin figure mocked Scotland for its 'transgender centaurs' after police said suspects could ask for separate searches of their top and bottom halves.
In what he described as a message to fellow Scots, Fraser said his fight was for them too. He said: 'If we win here that means there is a chance for Scotland. I believe that my homeland will remember its soul, its roots. But I have decided to tie my future with Russia, which is the last bastion of tradition, faith and common sense.'
The Putin regime has sought to portray itself abroad as a fortress of traditional Christian values.
Fraser also repeated previous statements that he was ready to kill British solders in Ukraine. He already believes there are intelligence services operating in the country.
He said: 'If the British government is so stupid that it officially sends troops there then I will have no problem fighting against them. Combating the government that has destroyed my country has always been attractive to me.'
The newspaper said Fraser was currently on the Kursk front. Asked what he wanted to do after the war, he said: 'In the long run I would like to bring Scottish ale and lager to Russia by opening up a brewery.'