A SCOT who lost an eye fighting for Vladimir Putin in Ukraine last night insisted he has “zero regrets”.
Ross McElvenny, 25, told of his “love” for Russia and dismissed his injuries — including a serious leg wound — saying: “S**t simply happens in conflict”.
Ross McElvenny in action for Putin’s Russian Army
East2WestMcElvenny is hoping to be granted Russian citizenship[/caption]
And the baby-faced fighter declared he “wholeheartedly” supports the tyrant’s objectives in the bloody war which has seen a million casualties.
Speaking to The Scottish Sun on Sunday, the mercenary, who uses the call sign Whisky said: “My story is simple. I came to support a cause I believe in and I have zero regrets.
“I will, unfortunately, likely be in hospital for quite a while.
“The reports regarding my injuries are accurate, yes. I can’t deny that.”
McElvenny, of Newton Mearns, near Glasgow, added: “I have often been asked, ‘Do you regret coming here? Don’t you miss home?’ and the answer is absolutely not.
“I came here to do what I could to support Russia. I love this country.”
Schoolboy role at government
By Oliver Norton
A SCHOOLBOY McElvenny gazes at a computer screen during a work placement with the Scottish Government. Our exclusive image shows the future mercenary with former youth employment minister Annabelle Ewing on a three-week programme for teenagers with “additional support needs”. The photo was taken in 2015 when he and another lad were at the government’s Atlantic Quay HQ in Glasgow. A post on his school’s Facebook page stated: “Two of the boys Ross McElvenny and [other pupil] became the first to complete a work placement with the Scottish Government tailored specifically for pupils with additional support needs.
“The boys were introduced to the full range of administration and support functions that keep the offices running smoothly on a daily basis.” It is understood that Ms Ewing was “shocked” to learn it was Putin volunteer McElvenny in the image.
A source close to the MSP said she did not recall meeting him. A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We cannot comment on police investigations.”
McElvenny’s old school, which we are not naming, said it could not comment on past or present pupils. But McElvenny told The Scottish Sun on Sunday: “It was a s****y work experience programme by a school I should have never been in in the first place, so they could get some publicity.”
McElvenny, who is being probed by cops here and faces prosecution if he returns to Scotland, said: “The reporting of a police investigation being opened against me doesn’t discourage me, nor does the hate mail from the Ukrainian Association of Patriots.
“I am not sad about my injuries.
“We should spare a thought for the comrades who have it much, much worse than me.
“I have been treated extremely well since the moment I came to Russia, with absolutely nothing but respect and I am extremely grateful for that.”
McElvenny, who is hoping to be granted Russian citizenship, is understood to have joined the country’s 1,099th Motorised Rifle Regiment earlier this year.
He said: “I have no intention of returning to Scotland.
“Once the special military operation is over, I would very much like to set up a life here in Russia and work a regular IT job or something.”
Asked if he has had any contact from British consular staff, McElvenny replied: “Nope, no contact from them.
“I also simply have no interest either. I believe they are in contact with my relatives, but we don’t talk too much anymore.” He hit the headlines last week after he was outed by online propaganda channels when his military vehicle was shelled in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
McElvenny is understood to be in hospital in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
Sources have claimed that his bid for Russian citizenship is being “fast-tracked”.
McElvenny’s relatives have declined to comment.