Russia shows captured and injured Ukraine soldiers from England in video - ex-comrade shocked

Created: 04/19/2022, 05:15

By: Christoph Gschossmann

British ex-soldier Shaun Pinner was interviewed in a propaganda video by pro-Russian journalist Andrey Rudenko.

© TVZvezda

A British ex-soldier fought in Ukraine - and has now been arrested by the Russians and put on display in a propaganda video.

Mariupol/Munich - fighters from NATO countries in the Ukraine war* - they exist, and another of them was captured by the Russian troops in Mariupol (the current developments on Mariupol live in the ticker).

A second British soldier fighting with the Ukrainian army was then shown on Russian television.

Shaun Pinner says he was fighting with Ukrainian marines when Vladimir Putin's forces invaded Ukraine nearly eight weeks ago.

The 48-year-old former British soldier appeared tired and injured in a short propaganda video broadcast by Russian media on Saturday night.

Video posted on Twitter: "Another mercenary was caught in Mariupol"

In the video, Pinner says, "Hi, I'm Shaun Pinner.

I am a British citizen.

I was captured in Mariupol.

I belong to the 1st Battalion of the Ukrainian Marines, 36th Brigade.

I fought in Mariupol for five to six weeks and now I'm in the Donetsk People's Republic.”

It is unclear when the video was filmed.

The video was part of an interview with Andrey Rudenko, who works closely with Russian state television.

Rudenko was the reporter who interrogated another captured British fighter, Aidan Aslin.

The new clip was posted on Twitter with the caption: "Another mercenary was caught in Mariupol.

Shaun Pinner is an English mercenary.

He says he doesn't need the war anymore and wants to go home.

He can't make it home."

In another short video, Pinner is asked about his prison name.

Accordingly, he was captured in the industrial district of Mariupol.

“I am here to defend my family and my adopted country”

According to the

, Pinner was fighting alongside his friend Aiden Aslin, from Nottinghamshire, who is believed to have surrendered to the Russian military last week after his battalion ran out of ammunition.

Photos of Aslin appeared on pro-Russian Telegram channels showing him in handcuffs and with injuries to his face.

Aiden Aslin is also believed to be in Russian custody.

© Telegram/JokerDPR

Pinner is said to have moved to Ukraine four years ago and lived with his wife in Donbass.

The former Royal Anglian Regiment soldier said in January he was stationed in trenches ten miles outside Mariupol.

He told the

: "I'm here to defend my family and my adopted country.

Russia started this war.

It is funded by Russia and driven by Russia, but we will fight them, make no mistake about it.”

"It's awful to see.

They're obviously being beaten up"

Pinner also spoke to the British medium about his fear of capture: "I'm scared for my life.

The Russians will treat us differently if we are captured because we are British.

I always think about being captured.”

Jayson Pihajlic, a former US Marine who fought with Pinner and Aslin in the Syrian Democratic Forces against Islamic State, said the men were "standard bearers for democracy" who were fighting "as volunteers, not mercenaries."

Pihajlic told the Guardian: "It's awful to see.

They're obviously being beaten up and that's the least we can tell - who knows what else is going on.

They're labeled as mercenaries, but these guys aren't mercenaries — they're real, uniformed, Ukrainian soldiers.”

"Putin has already broken all the Geneva Conventions"

Pihajlic said he was praying for their safe release, however: "Putin has already broken all the Geneva Conventions while bombing city centers full of civilians.

They commit acts of terrorism throughout Ukraine.

Now the beating of prisoners of war violates Geneva Conventions.

They just don't seem to care.”

In January, Pinner said the fighting in the trenches had been "like hell," with snipers terrifyingly close.

He added: “Separatists are now using drones to drop bombs and mortars – along with automatic grenade launchers and RPG [shoulder-launched] missiles.

Snipers are always present and small arms are used almost every day.”