A second British fighter, who served with Ukrainian troops, was shown on Russian state television after his capture in Mariupol.
Sean Piner, a 48-year-old former British soldier, fought with the Ukrainian Marines against Russian forces that invaded almost two months ago.
He appeared in a short propaganda video broadcast by Russian media on Saturday night. In the video, he says, “Hi, I’m Sean Piner. I am a citizen of the United Kingdom. I was captured in Mariupol. I am part of the 36th Brigade First Battalion Ukrainian Marines.
“I fought in Mariupol for five to six weeks, and now I am in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Mr. Pinner, a native of Bedfordshire, fought with his friend Aiden Aslin, 28, of Nottinghamshire, the first British volunteer to be captured by Russian forces.
Mr Aslin was the first British volunteer to be captured by Russian forces
(Twitter)
Mr Piner reportedly moved to Ukraine four years ago and lived with his wife in Donbass, where he fought Kremlin-backed separatists before Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
He told the Mail on Sunday in January: “I am here to protect my family and my adopted city. Russia started this war. It is funded by Russia and run by Russia, but we will fight them, make no mistake.
An image shared on Mr Aslin’s Twitter account, which is currently run by one of his friends, shows the Briton in handcuffs, with damaged eyes and a forehead.
A Twitter post read: “I just got this, it looks like they got Aiden.”
Mr Aslin moved to Ukraine in 2018 and later joined the nation’s armed forces, but was forced to surrender two days ago after Russian attacks cut off supplies and ammunition to the besieged port city.
This map shows the extent of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
(Press Association)
Jason Pihailic, who is fighting Islamic State with Piner and Aslin in the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the men were “famous bearers of democracy” fighting “as volunteers, not mercenaries.”
He told The Guardian: “It’s awful to see. They are obviously being beaten, and that is the least we can say – who knows what else is going on.
“They are labeled as mercenaries, but these boys are not mercenaries – they are suitable, uniformed, Ukrainian soldiers.
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