The horrified father of a British soldier captured by Russia has made a devastating appeal as he fears his son will be tortured by Vladimir Putinthe forces.

James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, can be seen kneeling with his hands tied in a shocking video posted to social media by sources linked to the Kremlin.

The former communications specialist claims he was kicked out of the British army before choosing to fight in Ukraine, but RussiaThe foreign military intelligence agency (GRU) believes this is a cover story given to them.

Footage of James’ capture was released this weekend and his father, Scott Anderson, spoke of his “complete shock” at learning of his son’s fate on the battlefield.

The father and son from Banbury, Oxfordshire, spoke every day while acting as a signalman for Ukrainian forces, but that stopped during James’ latest operation.

Scott told the Daily Mail: “I hope he will be used as a bargaining chip but my son told me that they torture their prisoners and I am so afraid that he will be tortured.”

In one of the videos released this weekend, James can be heard describing the process that led him to join Ukrainian forces in the war against Russia.

He says: “When I left, I was fired from my job, I applied for the International Legion. I had lost everything, my father was in prison, I had seen him on TV. was a stupid idea.”

Scott revealed that James last returned home a month and a half ago and said his commanding officer would contact the family if he was killed or captured.

Scott continued, “When he called me and sent me the video, I was in complete shock and in tears. I could tell right away it was him. He looks scared, scared and worried.

“I didn’t want him to go. I tried to persuade him not to go. My whole family tried to persuade him.

“He wanted to go because he believed he was doing what was right. He was strongly opposed to what was happening to the Ukrainian people.”

Scott said he was hired by Foreign Office officials. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention.”