Privates Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin
Photo: reproduction
By Catia Carmo
Haun Pinner and Aiden Aslin, two British militants captured by Moscow forces in Ukraine, appeared on Russian state TV Rossiya 24 asking to be replaced by Viktor Medvedchuk, a proRussian oligarch. They spoke separately after being encouraged by an unknown man.
The two men asked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to help them return home. These interventions come after oligarch Medvedchuk also asked for an exchange in a video released by the Ukrainian intelligence services.
The families of the British have assured that the two men are not mercenaries and should therefore be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention.
Pinner, a former British Army soldier, appeared weary in video on Russian state television, in which he said he was captured during combat in Mariupol. The 48yearold revealed he had been fighting in the city for six weeks but is now in the breakaway Donetsk region.
In another video, which Sky News says has been the subject of much editing, Pinner, a native of Bedfordshire, appeared to have been questioned by a Russian journalist about how he was captured.
“We were in the Mariupol production area. At dawn on Tuesday it was decided that we would be moving off the factory site, but we weren’t sure exactly where. We left the factory around 4 a.m.,” Shaun Pinner replied.
In a statement released by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Pinner family explained how the Brit became involved in defending Ukraine, which he considers “his adopted homeland”.
“Shaun was a distinguished soldier in the British Army and served for many years in the Royal Anglian Regiment. He served in many missions, including in Northern Ireland and at the United Nations in Bosnia. In 2018, Shaun decided to relocate to Ukraine to use his experience and training in the Ukrainian military. He enjoyed the Ukrainian way of life and has considered Ukraine his adopted homeland for the past four years. During this time he met his Ukrainian wife, who cares deeply about the country’s humanitarian needs. (…) We want to clarify that he is neither a volunteer nor a mercenary, he is officially in the service of the Ukrainian army, according to Ukrainian legislation,” the family’s note said.
The British Foreign Office is in contact with the families of the two fighters. However, the country’s ability to obtain information and provide consular services on the ground has been severely limited by the conflict.
Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine has already killed nearly 2,000 civilians, according to the UN, which warns the real number is likely to be much higher.
The war has displaced more than 11 million people, more than five million of them to neighboring countries. The Russian invasion was generally condemned by the international community, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and tightening economic and political sanctions against Moscow.
(Text originally published on TSF)