Captured Brit hero Aiden Aslin will NOT be treated as Prisoner of War, Russia warns
CAPTURED British hero Aiden Aslin will not be treated as a Prisoner of War, Russia warned last night.
Brave Aiden, 28, surrendered after his unit ran out of food and ammunition in the besieged city of Mariupol.
But Russia vowed to ignore the Geneva Convention on PoWs and insists he is "a mercenary".
He was paraded on Russian TV on Thursday with a gash across his forehead and an eye half-closed.
His family have begged the government to do all it can to get him home.
There are fears Aiden will now be used by tinpot tyrant Vladimir Putin as a propaganda tool.
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It has already been claimed that Aiden — who was due to marry his Ukrainian fiance last month — was working for "Western intelligence".
His interrogator on Rossiya 1, military reporter Andrey Rudenko, told viewers: "Aiden Aslin is a subject of Great Britain.
"He is an English mercenary and fought on the side of the Nazis in Ukraine."
In a chilling warning Rudenklo said: "I am sure that he will be able to shed light on the actions of Western intelligence agencies in Ukraine."
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In another mainstream TV broadcast he was described as "odious".
And in a sign he has been tortured into saying things, the bruised and battered fighter was asked if his unit had killed "peaceful people".
He replied: "I think you are correct.
"From day one in Mariupol, I always said that we needed to leave because…Donbas is recognised as independent, Luhansk too.
"If Ukraine really wanted to avoid this conflict, they could have easily just said: ‘OK, we will leave’ and recognise their independence — and Crimea."
When asked why the Ukrainians with whom he was holed up with "kill peaceful citizens", he replied: "Because they’re criminals."
Asked if he was surprised, he said: "It was like my first time seeing reality…They looted supermarkets, though the peaceful ones needed food."
Aiden, originally of Newark-on-Trent, Notts, laid down his arms with Ukraine's 36th Marines after defending the port city during a six-week siege.
Aiden had earlier warned that he would be used for "bulls**t propaganda".
Before his capture he wrote: "It's been 48 days, we tried our best but have no choice but to surrender.
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"It's been a pleasure everyone. I hope this war ends soon."
The International Committee of the Red Cross said: "POWs must be treated with dignity and are absolutely protected against ill-treatment and exposure to public curiosity including images circulating publicly on social media."