Declassified UK: Some war crimes are worse than others

Posted: 28th August 2026

There was no issue with British nationals serving in foreign militaries. Until this week.

A man from South Yorkshire is believed to be the first British citizen to die fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

He reportedly left Britain in April to join up with Russian forces in eastern Donbas and is believed to have been killed in June by a remote-controlled first-person-view drone near Lyman, a city in Donetsk.

A British man fighting for Putin’s Russia quickly became a major story, comprehensively covered across the UK’s broadcast and print media.

“What do we do with those people who would go out and fight for Russia”, asked one LBC presenter. The question elicited an unequivocal response from senior Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat.

“Joining the Russian army in its war of aggression is an unbelievably stupid thing to do”, he declared.

“There‘s no question about it: it’s criminal. Because you’re engaging in an army that is committing the most barbarous war crimes that the world has seen in decades”, he added.

The double standard is stark and unmistakable.

Help us reach 5,000 monthly donors

Regular monthly donations keep us independent, and fearless.

No such definitive condemnations or even notable coverage have been applied to Israel’s extensive list of war crimes, or to the British nationals serving in the army committing them.

And this is despite British nationals serving with Israel far outnumbering those fighting for Russia or any other foreign military.

But this inconsistency is not new. The ForeignOffice advises that anyone travelling to Russia to join its army or help others engaged in the war could be prosecuted on return to the UK.

To date, no comparable warning exists for Israel.

We recently revealed that at least 2,000 British citizens have served in the Israeli army since October 2023. This figure does not come from British record-keeping since the government has neither tracked the numbers nor initiated any formal mechanism for monitoring citizens who may have committed war crimes.

Earlier this year, Jeremy Corbyn tabled an amendment in Parliament to ban Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers from entering the UK. Seemingly, there’s little appetite for tackling the issue.

However, the indifference to British citizens serving in the Israeli army doesn’t make the matter any less urgent.

That’s why Declassified and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) recently launched a major campaign demanding the UK government track the movements of Brits who have served in the IDF, subject them to secondary screening at ports of entry where necessary, and support robust war crimes investigations under domestic and international law.

More than 26,000 members of the public have signed it and more can still add their name.

British nationals serving in the army of a state on trial for genocide should face accountability. No matter how much that reality is downplayed in Britain.

Hamza Yusuf

Regular Contributor
Declassified UK