A Briton from the Ukrainian army was reportedly captured by the Russians
Russian public television broadcast images Thursday evening showing a young man handcuffed and with a cut on his forehead, claiming that it is Aiden Aslin, a British member of the Ukrainian army.
His mother, Ang Wood, confirmed this to the Telegraphwhich has devoted several articles to the 28-year-old, including before the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Aiden is an active member of the Ukrainian armed forces, and therefore a prisoner of war”who “must be treated with humanity”she told the newspaper, reminding Vladimir Putin of the Geneva convention on prisoners of war. “It simply came to our notice then. It’s time for the UK government to get involved in securing Aiden’s release. “she added.
Also circulating on social networks are videos bearing the logo of the Kremlin-funded channel, RT, where the young man seems to question Ukraine’s responsibility in the conflict, images described as “propaganda” by his grandmother Pamela Hall with the British agency PA.
A message attributed to the young man had been published on Tuesday on his Twitter account animated by relatives, who hope for an exchange of prisoners. He explained that after forty-eight days “we tried to do our best to defend Mariupol [dans le sud-est de l’Ukraine]but we had no choice but to surrender to the Russian forces”. “We have no food or ammunition. I hope this war will end soon”he added.
London is aware that a British national is being held and remains in contact with his family, according to a source familiar with the matter, who stresses that the situation in Ukraine seriously limits the ability of British services to obtain information and provide consular assistance .
According to Telegraph, Aiden Aslin, known as Johnny, enlisted in the Ukrainian Navy in 2018 and bought a house in the country to start a family with his fiancée. Before fighting in Ukraine, Aiden Aslin had joined Kurds from the YPG (People’s Protection Units) to fight the Islamic State group in Syria.