British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was urged to help free the two British people captured by Russia when they fought in Mariupol.
Aiden Aslin’s family said he hoped Johnson could help “organize” something and bring 28-year-old Briton and 48-year-old Sean Pinner back to the family.
Originally from Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, Northern England, and Pinner, originally from Bedfordshire, East England, both have lived in Ukraine since 2018 and were Marines in the Ukrainian Army before the Russian invasion. Was serving.
The pair was captured earlier this month after the 36th Brigade stated that it had to surrender 48 days after defending Mariupol because it was “insufficient in ammunition.”
They later appeared on Russian state television and asked Johnson to help with the exchange with pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Victor Medvedchuk, who was arrested by Ukrainian secret services on April 12. ..
Both appeared to have been bruised, and Aslin appeared to have been beaten and urged the Russian authorities to “fulfill their obligations to prisoners under international law.”
On April 21, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The Russian side [was] They take care of them, “he said,” they were fed, watered, and given the necessary assistance, just like any other alien surrendered or detained. “
Talking to TalkTV on Monday, Aslin’s mother Angela and her brother Nathan turned to Johnson’s help.
“I hope there will be a prisoner exchange at some point, but it’s out of my control. It’s between Ukraine and Russia,” said Nathan Aslin.
Nathan Aslin, who outlines a recent telephone conversation with her brother, said: [Johnson] To make this prison exchange. And to keep asking for this swap. “
Asked by the Prime Minister what to say, Nathan said:You have two British citizens in line and you have to say what the Russians are putting in [their] Mouth with a gun, whether they show it to the camera or not. And doing something about it is a moral obligation. “
Angela Aslin added:And talk to the Ukrainian government [and] embassy. You can organize something so that they can go home. “
When asked about Aslin by former MP Robert Jenrick, a local parliamentarian, the Prime Minister wants to urge the Russian state to treat Aslin as “humane and compassionate” on April 20. Let’s do it. “
“The situation is very different from that of mercenaries,” said Johnson, although the British government has been aggressively discouraging British people from participating in the fighting in Ukraine.
The UK Government has been contacted for comment.
Pinner’s family previously stated that a former British Army soldier had decided to move to Ukraine in 2019 “to take advantage of his previous experience and training within the Ukrainian army.”
According to the statement, Pinner “enjoyed the Ukrainian lifestyle and regarded Ukraine as an adoptive country,” where he also met his Ukrainian wife.
Aslin emigrated to Ukraine in 2018 with the Ukrainian fiance and now holds UK and Ukrainian citizenship. He had previously fought the Kurdish People’s Defense Units and ISIS terrorist groups in Syria and northern Iraq.
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Lily Zhou is a freelance writer who mainly covers the British news of The Epoch Times.