A former British soldier fighting in Ukraine has spoken about the Russian invasion threat, insisting: ‘We will fight them, make no mistake about that.’
Shaun Pinner is one of at least ten UK nationals who have travelled to the country’s wartorn eastern region, known as the Donbas, to take on pro-Moscow separatists.
Born in Bedfordshire, the 48-year-old is married to a Ukrainian woman and has lived in Donbas since 2004.
Shaun Pinner (pictured) is one of at least ten UK nationals who have travelled to the country’s wartorn eastern region, known as the Donbas, to take on pro-Moscow separatists
Mr Pinner, who previously served in the Royal Anglian Regiment, said he fought with the Ukrainian army as a ‘contract soldier’.
Speaking from a trench ten miles outside Mariupol, he said: ‘I am here defending my family and adopted city. Russia started this war – it’s funded by Russia and driven by Russia. But we will fight them, make no mistake about that.’
Mr Pinner said fighting in the trenches was ‘like Hell’, with snipers ‘less than 600m away’.
He added: ‘Separatists are now using drones to drop bombs and mortars – along with automatic grenade launchers and RPG rockets. Snipers are always present and there’s small arms fire almost daily.
‘Ukrainian forces respond if we deem our lives to be threatened whereas separatists seem to shoot whenever they fancy.
‘Sometimes it’s very scary no matter how used to it you are. Sometimes you hear it [explosions]Start further along the contact line. Then it ripples throughout your position.
Pictured: An instructor trains members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces, volunteer military units of the Armed Forces, in a city park in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, January 22, 2022
‘That’s why you get time to dive into cover and sometimes you may get a warning beforehand. Snipers are less than 600m away.’
A veteran British soldier is often faced with life-and death situations, but there was one instance three years ago that stands out.
‘I had an artillery strike on my position in 2019. I didn’t think I was going to get out of that alive.
‘Over the course of three days, six people died on my position. While on a changeover, I was jumping between crater and crater along with another man. It was only when I got back on the rear that we realized our men had been killed. It took a while to sink in.’
Mr Pinner, who previously served in the Royal Anglian Regiment, said he fought with the Ukrainian army as a ‘contract soldier
Mr Pinner added: ‘This is my ninth war tour. For so many years, death has been part of my daily life. You can’t go into each day thinking you will be killed or injured.
‘I fear for my life. If we’re captured, the Russians will not treat us any differently because we are British. This is always on my mind – that I will be captured.
‘I’m not just another war junkie. My achievements are better than those of most Ukrainian soldiers. I am the first Westerner to complete all aspects of parachute training as a Ukrainian soldier.’
Over the eight-year conflict, more than 14,000 have died since Kremlin-backed troops seized large parts of eastern Ukraine near the Russian border.
These include the Donbas, which is run currently by Vladimir Putin’s stooges from their mini-fiefdoms in the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Meanwhile, with more than 100,000 Russian troops camped on Ukraine’s northern, eastern and southern borders, the US has sent 90 tons of ‘lethal aid’ to the country.
The military aid package, worth £147 million, included ammunition for ‘front-line defenders’. The package arrived one day after Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, warned that the US would respond strongly to any Russian invasion.
This weekend, Ukraine’s intelligence service accused Russia of sending weapons and fuel to pro-Russian militia on the frontline in Donbas.
According to it, the Russians had sent 7,008 tons of fuel, tanks, and self-propelled guns units to the frontline areas.
Yesterday it was revealed that Sergei Shoigu (Russian Defence Minister) accepted an invitation from Ben Wallace to talk with him in London, early next week to attempt to diffuse tensions.