Russian propagandists parade captured and beaten British fighter Aiden Aslin on Putin’s state TV after Mariupol surrender
- British captive Aiden Aslin was captured after fighting with Ukraine in Mariupol
- He was paraded on Russian state TV and asked a series of baseless questions
- Aiden, 28, is labelled a ‘mercenary’ and forced to slander comrades as ‘criminals’
- Aiden’s brother Nathan, 25, asked: ‘What have the Russians done to him?’
- Kremlin now using volunteer to claim ‘Western intelligence’ on side of Ukraine
- Aiden, 28, previously warned he would be exploited in ‘bull***t propaganda’
Russian government propagandists are exploiting beaten and captured British fighter Aiden Aslin by parading him on state TV and forcing him to denounce his Ukrainian comrades.
Aiden, 28, was captured by Putin’s forces after fighting alongside the Ukrainian army in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine.
The Newark-on-Trent volunteer – who appeared to have been heavily beaten – was paraded on Russian state TV and asked a series of leading questions about why he went to fight.
Rossiya 1 TV news presenter Andrey Rudenko described him as a ‘mercenary’ and said: ‘He fought on the side of the Nazis in Ukraine.’
Aiden is also forced to describe his Ukrainian army comrades as ‘criminals’.
Rudenko added: ‘I am sure that he will be able to shed light on the actions of Western intelligence agencies in Ukraine.’
Tearful younger brother Nathan, 25, told MailOnline yesterday: ‘It is so shocking for our family to see Aiden in that state.
An image uploaded to his social media shows Aiden, 28, bruised, beaten and in handcuffs
A second image, posted by a pro-Russia Telegram account, was closer to captured Aiden’s cut
‘What have the Russians done to him? He looks awful, absolutely exhausted. His face is drained of colour.’
Nathan and care worker mum Angela Wood begged Moscow to treat Aiden humanely.
Angela said: ‘I’m in bits. I now hold Vladimir Putin to the terms of the Geneva Convention.
‘Aiden is a serving member of the Ukrainian armed forces and as such is a prisoner of war and must be treated with humanity.’
Nathan added: ‘However horrible it is to see him in such a state, it does show that he is still alive and that is giving us as a family some slight relief.’
Aiden already said he was worried he would be used for ‘bull***t propaganda’ if he was captured.
It seems that Aiden spoke under duress, a desperate wish to go home or that his words were carefully edited.
He had tweeted on April 12: ‘It’s been 48 days, we tried our best to defend Mariupol but we have no choice but to surrender to Russian forces…
‘It’s been a pleasure everyone – I hope this war ends soon.’
Aiden, pictured in Ukraine before the war, was due to marry his Ukrainian fiancée last week
Robert Jenrick, the MP for Aiden’s hometown of Newark in Nottinghamshire, tweeted yesterday: ‘I am working with [the foreign office] to track the whereabouts and secure the release of my constituent.
‘Aiden chose to risk his life because he believes passionately in the Ukrainian people’s right to live in freedom and democracy.’
Aiden’s social media account, which is being operated by his contacts while he has been fighting on the frontlines, tweeted the picture of the British national and promised to keep his plight ‘in the public eye’.
‘Just got this, it looks as if they have gotten ahold of Aiden,’ the tweet read.
‘F***ing pukes have worked him over too by the looks of it. We’re going to keep in the public eye every day until he’s exchanged.’
Having moved to Ukraine in 2018, Aslin was due to get married last week to his Ukrainian fiancée.
Aslin previously spent ten months in Iraq fighting Islamic State alongside the Kurdish People’s Defence Forces (YPG).
Upon his return to Britain in 2016, he was arrested on suspicion of terror charges but was acquitted and returned to Iraq for a second tour of duty with the YPG.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk