A British thug who is fighting for Russia in Ukraine has bragged about being awarded a bravery medal by the Russian army for “wiping out” Ukrainians.
Aiden Minnis, 38, from Chippenham, Wilts, left the UK to fight alongside Kremlin forces when Russia invaded the country in 2022.
He is one of two British traitors, both former drug addicts and criminals, exposed in a Daily Mirror investigation last year. They face jail for terror offences if they return home.
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Minnis, who spent time in jail in the UK for a violent racist attack, initially worked as a sapper - combat engineer - laying landmines and explosives in Ukraine’s Luhansk region.
He now claims he has joined the Russian motorised rifle regiment n the Kharkov region, storming Ukrainian trenches and positions.
Earlier this month Minnis, who was granted a Russian passport last year, was awarded the Suvorov medal, a a state decoration of the Russian Federation awarded to ground troops for courage in combat “in defence of the Fatherland”.
He told the Mirror he was given the medal for “wiping out numerous khokhols (a derogatory term for Ukrainians). I hope I get many more for killing the fascists and eliminating the Nazi scourge.”
He added: “I work as a stormtrooper, basically infantry and assault, trench clearing and eliminating enemy positions.”
Minnis claimed he has had “many near miss experiences, by drones, bullets, tank and mortar shells.
“Last year I was wounded by shrapnel. A kamikaze drone hit the dugout, I was left with a fractured leg and multiple deep shrapnel wounds. I was in hospital for a few months.”
But he insists: “Although it’s very hard fighting, it must be done.”
Minnis, who has married a Russian, has proudly declared he ‘hates’ the UK and previously called Britain a ‘fascist state’. He has also said he is prepared to die for Putin, calling him “the greatest politician on earth”.
He has been disowned by his family who claim they want “nothing to do with him”.
In an interview last month with Russian website RT, Minnis described his life at the Russian frontline of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “My tasks can vary. You can spend several months in the trenches or participate in an evacuation or assault. There are many variables here depending on what is happening operationally.
“I get very nervous sometimes. Where we are is a very dangerous and active zone. It’s impossible to relax or switch off, even being in your positions. Every day there are drones, mortars and tank shells.”
Minnis said many of his fellow Russian soldiers had been killed. He said: “That’s the hardest part. When you get to know them on the deepest level, and then sadly they make the ultimate sacrifice. It’s happened many times here.”
He admitted that his decision to fight for Russia meant family and friends cut him off. He said: “My parents disowned me. We’ve always had a difficult relationship, and unfortunately they believe what they see on TV and in the media.
“Many of my friends turned away from me for the same reason. But at least it made me realise they were never my friends. It was painful but to be expected”
He added: “However, I am dedicated to my work and have nothing but love for Russia. No matter how difficult it is, and no matter how hard the fighting is, I’m indebted to Russia.
“It took care of me.Here I found freedom, got citizenship, got married, bought a house. All this would never have happened in my homeland.”
Before leaving the UK Minnis had a long record of arrests for violence. In December 2008 he was jailed for four years after launching an unprovoked racist attack on a man in Swindon, smashing him over the head with a bottle of port.
Two months after the assault Minnis robbed a man of his wallet and attempted to rob another, punching him in the face. The thug was also arrested months later for assaulting a homeless man.

Another Brit exposed by the Mirror, Ben Stimson, 49, from Oldham, Lancs, is also believed to still be fighting for Russia in Ukraine.
Last year he posted a video from the frontline showing him walking past dead bodies of Ukrainians in muddy fields, and digging up a grenade. He is also understood to have been disowned by his father.
Former British Army commander Colonel Richard Kemp branded both men “traitors”.
He told the Mirror: “There two are an absolute disgrace and are traitors who upon their return to the UK should be arrested and jailed. They clearly don’t know who the enemy is.”
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