A man from the UK who supported Vladimir Putin has been recognized by Russia as a loyalist. Ben Stimson, aged 49 and hailing from Oldham, is said to be training new soldiers in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Stimson initially traveled to Russia in 2015 but faced passport issues upon his return to the UK, leading to his arrest and imprisonment on terrorism charges. After his release, he went back to Ukraine.
Maria Butina, a pro-Kremlin MP known for her loyalty, ensured that Stimson received a Russian passport. She commended his dedication to Russia and his compassion for the residents in the affected Ukrainian territories. Butina revealed that Stimson had rejoined Russia in the Special Military Operation area after his release and faced the threat of deportation, prompting her to request a Russian passport for him from Putin’s interior ministry.
Following Butina’s intervention, Stimson was granted Russian citizenship. Last year, Stimson was labeled a traitor by Colonel Richard Kemp, a former British army commander, for joining forces with Putin. Kemp criticized Stimson and another British supporter, Aiden Minnis, aged 39, as disgraceful traitors who should be apprehended upon their return to the UK.
Recent reports suggested that Minnis, a former convict and ex-BNP member from Chippenham, Wiltshire, had gone missing and was feared deceased, though this has not been confirmed. Stimson has reassured that Minnis is safe and well. Stimson had expressed concern about Minnis’s whereabouts earlier, but later confirmed that Minnis had also been granted a Russian passport.
Butina disclosed that the leadership of the United Russia party had approved Stimson’s citizenship request. Stimson had previously served a five-year and four-month sentence in Manchester Crown Court in 2017, subsequent to his return from Russia to the UK.
Encouraging other English speakers to support Putin, Stimson’s father, Martin, reportedly disowned him in 2024 for his allegiance to Putin. Butina, a United Russia party member, had previously faced imprisonment in the US for conspiracy to work for a foreign government. After being sentenced to 18 months in 2018, Butina admitted to acting as a foreign agent and was later released to Russia in 2019 following a slight reduction in her sentence for good behavior.
