AN ex-Tennent’s Brewery apprentice who pulled pints at Westminster has been exposed as the second Scots mercenary fighting for Russia.
Jay Fraser, 24, defied family in Dunblane, Stirlingshire, to join Vladimir Putin’s forces in Ukraine.
4
4
4
A propaganda video shows him in military gear with a Russian flag cap, left. He said: “I burned all my bridges and came here.”
In one video from the frontline he says: “I believe this is a war not only between Russia and Ukraine, but also a war between Eastern and Western civilisation.”
According to the translation, he adds: “Eastern civilisation is the correct one. And, accordingly, I have decided to take a direct part on your side, so to speak, for values.”
He claimed Britain was “extremely aggressive” to Russia.
READ MORE ON THE SCOTTISH SUN
Fraser is not the first Scot to become a mercenary for Russia.
Earlier this month we told how fellow Scot Ross McElvenny, 25, from Newton Mearns, Glasgow, lost an eye while fighting for Putin.
Fraser, once an apprentice with Tennent’s in Dennistoun, Glasgow, is understood to have grown up in Dunblane, Stirlingshire.
He uses the call-sign Celt and is believed to have received a “warm welcome” from Russian fighters.
Yet in 2020 he was pictured happily alongside then Nats MP John Nicolson as the politician attempted to pour pints of Tennent’s lager.
The Nat wrote at the time: “It was great to welcome my constituent Jay Fraser to parliament earlier today — I was delighted to present him with an award for his work as a brewing apprentice.”
Fraser also appeared in articles promoting a career in the brewing industry.
Now he is in Kremlin promo videos shared on social media channel Telegram.
In one he is asked if he understood he was likely committing a crime back home by taking up arms for Russia.
He says: “I realise that, Yes, I realise there is no going back, but I never thought of starting a family in the West with all the new realities.
“That’s why I burned all my bridges and came here.”
However, in a later video he claims his real aim is to return home with a Russian bride and open his own brewery.
He says: “Yeah, that’s the plan, to meet a nice Russian girl and marry her. They’re much better-looking here than in Scotland.”
He explains to the Russians that he brewed “Scottish ale”, and was told this was “cool”.
Asked if his family could be put under pressure by UK authorities, he says: “I thought about it, but for me it is also important, and I hope that the game is worth it.
Not all of my side of the family is on my side. And I’m sure they won’t come here, no matter how much pressure the state puts on them.”
On their reaction, he explains: “They didn’t take it very well that I was leaving the peace of Scotland to go to war in Russia.
“But they also saw my determination that I was final in my decision and that no words could change my mind, so they accepted it.”
Fraser said he speaks “a little” Russian after completing two nights on the frontline.
He insists: “I’m very happy to be here. I’ve always been a man of books, more into theory. I’m glad to be directly involved. It’s new emotions — new sensations for me.”
Asked what he felt fighting alongside Russians, he goes on: “I was very much welcomed.
“I am very surprised by such a warm welcome, despite the fact that I am from a country that is extremely aggressive towards Russia. I am happy to have such a welcome.”
He claimed to have read works by 19th century Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov, who is said to have had Scots ancestry.
Last night, Mr Nicolson, who lost his seat at the general election, said: “MPs meet, briefly, a wide range of people as part of their work.
“I strongly support Ukraine in its battle for survival against Putin’s murderous thuggery.”
Police Scotland said: “We are aware of this information and inquiries are ongoing.”
Mercenary McElvenny was outed by online propaganda channels when his military vehicle was shelled in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
He is understood to be in hospital in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
In 2015, he was pictured with employment minister Annabelle Ewing during a school work placement at the Scottish Government’s Glasgow HQ.
McElvenny — call-sign Whisky — told The Scottish Sun on Sunday: “My story is simple. I came to support a cause I believe in and I have zero regrets.
“I have often been asked, ‘Do you regret coming here? Don’t you miss home?’ and the answer is, absolutely not.”
Read more on the Scottish Sun
British citizens fighting for Putin face jail if they return to the UK.
The Foreign Enlistment Act makes it illegal to join armies in countries who are in conflict with Britain — but it is more likely that anti-terror laws would be used.
Mad Vlad last week warned he could target the UK in direct response to Ukraine’s use of British-made Storm Shadow missiles.
