Scottish Fighter Stefan Sivers Missing And Feared Dead In Ukraine’s Kharkiv Region

A Scottish man fighting against Russia in Ukraine, Stefan Sivers, 35, from Aberdeen, is missing and feared dead, with reporting that he died in the Kharkiv region.

“- Published A Scottish man who was fighting against Russia in Ukraine is missing and feared dead”

BBC

The Foreign Office confirmed he is now missing and said it is supporting his family and in contact with local authorities.

BBC

BBC Scotland News reported that Sivers is understood to have been educated at Banchory Academy in Aberdeenshire and that he posted a picture showing support for Ukraine in 2022.

The BBC also said the Scottish Sun first reported pro-Kremlin social media accounts claiming he was killed last month, and that it was reported he travelled to Ukraine last year.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to advise against all travel to Ukraine, citing an “ongoing risk of harm” to British nationals from Russian attacks across all of Ukraine.

STV News quoted the FCDO website saying the risk includes “missiles and drones that hit unintended targets or from falling debris,” and noted that while the risk is more frequent where FCDO advises against all travel, it can also occur in western regions.

STV News

The BBC similarly relayed the FCDO warning that “If you travel to Ukraine to fight, or to assist others engaged in the war, your activities may amount to offences under UK legislation,” and that “You could be prosecuted on your return to the UK.”

The BBC also repeated the FCDO statement that “British nationals fighting in Ukraine have been killed or captured,” and that “The risk to life, or of maltreatment, is high.”

Alongside confirmation that the Foreign Office is supporting the family of a missing British national, the FCDO set out limits on what the British government can do in these circumstances.

“A Scottish man who travelled to Ukraine to fight against Russia is missing and feared dead”

STV News

The BBC reported the FCDO said: “The British government's ability to support you in these circumstances is very limited,” and that it “cannot facilitate your departure from Ukraine, your medical repatriation, or termination of your military contract.”

STV News also highlighted that the FCDO warns about legal consequences, quoting that “You could be prosecuted on your return to the UK,” and that British nationals fighting in Ukraine have been killed or captured.

In the same coverage, the BBC noted that since 18 May 2024 British nationals who join the International Legion or Ukraine Armed Forces have to serve at least six months and are not allowed to leave Ukraine during this period.