Freed prisoner of war Aiden Aslin has opened up on his ordeal at the hands of Putin's army in Ukraine - and how he was beaten and left to starve after being captured. Originally from Newark, Nottinghamshire, he joined the Ukrainian marines in 2018, compelled to defend his adopted homeland from the growing threat of Russian invasion.
In February 2022, as Russia mounted a full-scale offensive, Aiden and his unit were stationed at the frontline at Mariupol. Pinned down at a Mariupol steelworks, after a month-long siege and running out of supplies, Aiden was part of the mass surrender of over a thousand Ukrainian troops, in April 2022.
He was interrogated, tortured, stabbed, turned into a propaganda zombie, tried by a kangaroo court and then sentenced to death. He has finally returned home after being sentenced to death in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic [DPT] for "mercenary activities and committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the DPR."
Read more: Aiden Aslin was 'made to say' Russian propaganda after capture in Mariupol
Aiden has told his harrowing story in new book, Putin's Prisoner, where he looks back on his time fighting in Putin's war, of his six months in Russian captivity, and of his hardened resolve to defend the freedoms of the people of Ukraine.
In the book, according to The Express, Mr Aislin recalls: "On the other side of the railway bridge we are greeted, in a manner of speaking, by an armed Russian soldier wearing a green balaclava. Two more Russians are covering him.
"I look around for the International Red Cross but I don't see them. I am patted down by a soldier in the uniform of the Russian interior ministry troops. Once they've checked that we have no weapons on us, the abuse starts.
"It's just verbal, to begin with. They call us 'pederas' or 'peda', Russian slang for paedophile or pederast. They tell us to 'f*****g move it' and we get on a bus. What's so strange is that there are only a few of them.
"OK, they're armed, but we outnumber them so we could conceivably capture the bus. But we all know our lines are too far away. If we make a run for it, we'll be dog meat soon enough."
The British fighter, who had previous combat experience in Syria, shared details of the Russian guards' attempts to demean the prisoners by compelling them to sing the Russian national anthem and express their support for Vladimir Putin.
Almost every day, he experienced being forcefully taken out of his confinement and placed in front of a camera. During these interrogations, the Russians aimed to exploit Mr Aslin for propaganda purposes, repeatedly asking him to renounce his support for Ukraine.
Additionally, he noted that members of the Azov Regiment, who were captured later during the Russian siege in Mariupol, endured even more severe beatings compared to the other prisoners, describing the treatment as horrific.
A Prisoner Of War In Ukraine by Aiden Aslin and John Sweeney, published by Bantam on July 20 at £20. To order a copy for £18 (offer valid to July 23; UK p&p free on orders over £25), visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937.
