There are a couple famous photos of an English volunteer fighter who was active during the Chechnyan War but few information has been published on him. The fighter was identified as Roddy Scott, and he died on September 26th, 2002 in Ingushetia, Russia.
Roddy was an English freelance photojournalist who documented some of the most dangerous conflicts including in places such as Sierra Leone, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia. He earned an income through being a contributor to the annual guide, The World’s Most Dangerous Places.
In December 2000, Roddy landed in Georgia and quickly gained the trust of Chechen rebels operating out of Georgia’s Pankisi gorge. He was working on making a documentary about the Chechen’s eight-year struggle to win independence and by gaining the rebel’s trust they embedded him within their unit. The cause would become near and dear to Roddy’s heart. In September 2002, Roddy was crossing with the unit into Ingushetia with the unit when they were ambushed. The group couldn’t sustain combat and was outworked by the Russian forces which killed them all, including Roddy. After his death, Roddy was marked as a terrorist and there were attempts to extort money out of Roddy’s family for the return of his body. Roddy’s family declined and advised these individuals to bury him where he fell. All of his last photos are below.
