Family of Brit hero Aiden Aslin captured in Ukraine furiously deny Russian claims he is an ‘enemy agent spy’
THE family of the captured Brit hero Aiden Aslin have furiously denied Russian claims he is a spy and have called on the Foreign Office to take action.
It comes after Kremlin vowed to ignore the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War and insisted he is "a mercenary".
The 28-year-old from Newark, Nottinghamshire, surrendered after his unit ran out of food and ammunition in the besieged city of Mariupol.
The former care worker was humiliated on Russian TV after he was captured by Putin's troops as he was pictured handcuffed, battered and bruised.
Aiden who was serving with the 39th Brigade Ukrainian Marines and had previously fought ISIS in Syria is likely to be used for Russian propaganda, but could eventually be released as part of a prisoner exchange.
And now his brother Nathan Wood has called on the Foreign Office to take action amid fears his brother will be treated as a spy.
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Nathan, 25, told the : “They are spinning it that Aidan’s a mercenary and a spy but he is not, absolutely not. They have no proof. It’s all lies.
“They have no evidence. They are trying to make an example of him.”
He added: "We have grave concerns and fears especially if he is being treated as a mercenary and not a prisoner of war.
"The Russian authorities will have had his documents when they seized him, they will know that he is a Ukrainian soldier fighting legitimately."
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Aiden's family has urged the Government to help get Aiden home, with Nathan saying "they cannot sit by and leave it in the hands of the Ukrainians. He is Britain’s responsibility too."
In a sign Aiden has been tortured into saying things, the soldier was asked if his unit had killed "peaceful people" during a TV interview.
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."
Aiden had earlier warned that he would be used for "bulls**t propaganda".
Earlier tonight, another British volunteer fighter was paraded by Russians after he was taken prisoner in Mariupol and was also described as a mercenary.
A chilling video shows ex-squaddie Shaun Pinner, 48, explaining he was captured in Ukraine.
SECOND BRIT CAPTURED
In the clip shared by , the brave soldier can be seen wearing a blue hoodie and looking tired.
He says: "Hi I'm Shaun Pinner, I am a citizen of the UK.
";I was captured in Mariupol I am part of the 36 Brigade First Battalion Ukrainian Marines.
"I was fighting in Mariupol for five-six weeks and now I'm in Donetsk People's Republic."
The clip was posted on Twitter with the caption: "Another mercenary was caught in Mariupol.
"Shaun Pinner is an English mercenary. He says that he no longer needs the war and he wants to go home. He won't make it home.
"Captured Ukrainian soldiers testify about the atrocities of foreign mercenaries. And after the trial, they face the death penalty."
Meanwhile, the wife of captured Viktor Medvedchuk, 67, has called for him to be swapped with Aidan.
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Oxana Marchenko says in her video address: "I, Oxana Marchenko, spouse of opposition politician, people’s deputy of Ukraine Viktor Medvedchyuk, address the relatives of captured citizens of Great Britain Aiden Aslin and of Shaun Pinner," she says.
“It is in your power to ask the PM of your country Boris Johnson to influence Ukrainian leadership and to achieve Aiden’s and Shaun’s release by their exchange for….my husband Viktor Medvedchyuk."
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