Two Britons captured during battle for Mariupol beg Boris Johnson for help and ask to be exchanged for top Putin ally held by Ukraine as they are both paraded on Russian state TV
- Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner have appeared on Russian state television today
- Britons were serving in Ukrainian marines and captured in Mariupol last week
- Pair beg Boris Johnson to arrange a prisoner swap so they can be freed in return for the release of Viktor Medvedchuk, Putin’s top political ally in Ukraine
- At the same time, Ukraine released a video of Medvedchuk begging for freedom
Two Britons captured fighting for Ukraine by Russia have been forced to beg Boris Johnson to exchange them for a pro-Moscow politician detained by Kyiv.
Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, who had been serving in the Ukrainian marines, were captured by Putin’s troops in the besieged city of Mariupol last week.
The pair were dragged on to Russian state TV Monday where they were filmed asking Boris Johnson to intervene and have them exchanged for Viktor Medvedchuk – Vladimir Putin’s closest political ally in Ukraine – in a prisoner-swap.
Both men spoke after being prompted by an unidentified man who showed them footage of Medvedchuk’s wife pleading for his release, and were almost certainly speaking under duress.
Shaun Pinner (left) and Aiden Aslin (right), Britons serving in the Ukrainian marines who have now been captured by Russia, appeared on state TV today
‘I understand the situation,’ Pinner, who looked tired and nervous, said after being shown the video.
‘I’d like to appeal to the government to send me back home, I’d like to see my wife again,’ he said.
Pinner made a direct appeal to Johnson on his own behalf and on Aslin’s behalf.
‘We look to exchange myself and Aiden Aslin for Mr Medvedchuk. Obviously I would really appreciate your help in this matter,’ he said, saying he spoke a little Russian and had been treated well.
The unidentified man was then shown speaking to Aslin, who was sat on a chair wearing a T-shirt bearing the emblem of Ukraine’s far-right Azov battalion, in a different location.
‘I think that Boris needs to listen to what Oksana (Medvedchuk’s wife) has said,’ said Aslin, who also looked nervous.
‘If Boris Johnson really does care about British citizens like he says he does then he will help.’
Separately, Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service released a video of Medvedchuk who asked to be swapped too.
Medvedchuk addressed Putin and Zelensky, asking to be exchanged for the defenders of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol and any civilians allowed to leave.
Three days after Russia moved its forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, Ukraine said Medvedchuk had escaped from house arrest.
He had been placed under house arrest in May 2021 and charged with high treason and later with aiding terrorism.
The pro-Russian figure, who says Putin is godfather to his daughter, has denied wrongdoing.
Both Pinner and Aslin fought on the Ukrainian side in Mariupol, which is now almost entirely under Russian control.
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