A Nottinghamshire man who was captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine has been sentenced to death, state-owned Russian news agency RIA has claimed. It has been reported that Aiden Aslin, 28, from Newark, who was captured in April while fighting for Ukraine, has now been handed a death sentence by a Russian court.
After the news of the death sentence broke, the UK Government called it a "sham judgement". Liz Truss, Foreign Secretary, said: "I utterly condemn the sentencing of Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner held by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine.
"They are prisoners of war. This is a sham judgement with absolutely no legitimacy. My thoughts are with the families. We continue to do everything we can to support them."
He was captured while fighting for the Ukrainian Marines and has been used as a bargaining chip by Vladimir Putin's regime for the release of a pro-Russian politician being held in Ukraine. Mr Aslin moved to Ukraine in 2018 and later joined the armed forces.
Fellow Briton Shaun Pinner, 48, also appeared at a court in the separatist Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). It is claimed the pair have admitted "training in order to carry out terrorist activities".
Ang Wood, the mum of Aiden Aslin had previously pleaded for "her hero back" after seeing him paraded in front of cameras by his Russian captors. A 45-minute film had released online and posted on YouTube, during which he was questioned by Graham William Phillips, a man believed to be from Nottingham who has previously worked for the Kremlin-backed television channel RT.
After many people, including Mr Aslin's mum and Newark's Conservative MP Robert Jenrick, called on YouTube to take the video down for violating the Geneva Convention, it was removed from the platform. Earlier this week Mr Aslin's family asked for privacy at "a very sensitive and emotional time". They added: "We are currently working with the Ukrainian government and the Foreign Office to try and bring Aiden home."
