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Hayden Davies sentencing
A Russian-controlled court in occupied Donetsk on Dec. 18, 2025 sentenced British national Hayden Davies to 13 years in a maximum-security prison after finding him guilty of acting as a paid mercenary while fighting for Ukraine.
“A British man, 30-year-old Hayden Davies, was sentenced to 13 years in a Russian prison after being captured last winter while fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region.”
Multiple outlets reported the verdict and sentence, noting the trial took place in territory Moscow occupies and that Russian criminal law was applied to the accused.
Russian prosecutors and the Donetsk court framed the conviction as punishment for joining and fighting with Ukraine's International Legion.
Claims about Davies's capture
Russian authorities say Davies joined Ukraine’s International Legion after arriving in Ternopil in August 2024.
They say he received training and was captured during fighting in the Donbas in winter 2024 while allegedly carrying an American-made assault rifle and ammunition.
Prosecutors and the Prosecutor-General’s office have publicly recounted those details.
Several outlets relayed the claim that he was found with U.S.-made weaponry when seized.
The reporting presents these as the prosecution’s account rather than independently verified facts.