The relatives of the British prisoners of war held in Mariupol have appealed to Russia for their rights, after being humiliated by a Russian television reporter.
Shaun Pinner (48), an ex-British Army soldier and Royal Anglian vet, was paraded today on Russian propaganda TV. He was shown in a clip that was heavily edited. It was said his Ukrainian commanders wanted to kill him as he ran from a Mariupol factory hideout.
His family has released a statement to respond to his captivity, explaining how they became involved with the defense of Ukraine against Russian invasion, while urging Shaun’s Russian captors not to violate the Geneva Convention regulations concerning the treatment of POWs.
“Shaun, a respected soldier in the British Army who served for the Royal Anglian Regiment over many years was highly respected.” According to the statement, he was a veteran of many wars including Northern Ireland as well as the United Nations’ Bosnian War.
“In 2018, Shaun made the decision to move to Ukraine, based on his experience in and training with Ukraine’s Military.
“Shaun loved the Ukrainian lifestyle and called Ukraine his home for the past four years. He met his Ukrainian wife during this period, who is extremely focused on helping the country’s humanitarian needs.
He was proud to be a member of the Ukrainian Marines. The end of his three-year contract in 2022 was approaching and he had plans to move to Ukraine to serve as a humanitarian.
“We want to clarify that he is neither a volunteer or a mercenary. He serves officially with the Ukrainian Army according to Ukrainian Legislation.”
Our family has been working closely with the Foreign Office, as well as the family of Aiden Aslin, currently being held by Russia’s Army in order to protect their rights and ensure that they are treated according to Geneva Convention.
“Shaun, a humorous, well loved, and thoughtful Husband, Dad, Brother, and Friend to many, is much more than he could ever be. Our hope is for quick resolution so Shaun and Aiden can safely return home to their families. We ask that you respect our privacy during this time.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this terrible conflict.”
Shaun Pinner was an officer in Royal Anglians. After marrying a Ukrainian woman, Pinner enlisted in Marines in Ukraine. While he was protecting Mariupol, Russian forces captured Pinner.
The 48-year-old was interviewed by Andrey Rudenko (left) who is a pro-Kremlin journalist
Pinner, who joined the Marines in Ukraine following the marriage of his wife Larysa, a Ukrainian national, was informed that he would now be seen by the world as an anti-Putin icon.
As he was being held, he is reported to have said there was panic after escaping from a blitzed area.
Russians have captured Aiden Aslin, a former care worker aged 28, on Tuesday. Pinner was also in his trenches in Ukraine while he was fighting.
In a clip from a recently released interview, he stated that he was in Mariupol’s factory area.
It was Tuesday morning. Although we knew exactly where, it was agreed that we would move from the factory. We left the factory at 4AM.
Pinner said that there was not much time for thinking.
His words were then subtitled in Russian, but his original speech was still audible.
Shaun Pinner (48) was a Marine serving in Ukraine as a defense of the strategic port Mariupol
Pinner was a Royal Anglians soldier and joined the Marines in Ukraine when he married Larysa, a Ukrainian national.
Pinner, according to the subtitles said that it was “very dark.” The injured were taken with us.
“Mortar and artillery bombardment began, military aviation functioned. The panic set in. Everyone started running in different directions.
“My commander appears to have vanished. I don’t yet know where my commander is.
Andrey Rudenko, a Russian war reporter who is well-known on pro-Kremlin TV, claimed that his Ukrainian commanders wanted to kill him and other Ukrainians so they could be called heroes during the provocation battle against Moscow.
Pinner was told that 36th Brigade service men said they were sent to death by their commander to make heros later.
Rudenko stated to Pinner in exhausted form: “You had no chance at all of this settlement Zachatovka. Russian and DPR forces were everywhere.
He and the other defenders were taken prisoner in this event.
According to reports, he told his Russian captors that he didn’t want war but wanted to return home.
Pinner heard that outsiders could view him as an anti–Putin hero during his interview
Pinner stated that it was dark as he said in the subtitles. The injured were taken with us. The military aircraft worked, and so did mortar shelling. The panic began. Everyone started running in different directions’ (Pictured: Pinner with his wife Larysa)
Pinner can be heard responding to his claim that the Ukrainian commanders wanted Pinner and other workers to leave the factory. Your knowledge is greater than mine. I don’t particularly know anything…’
Pinner also said in the report – although his words are not audible on this broadcast: ‘I had no clue, we were left.
“I have no idea who made this decision. The fate of those who sustained injuries is unknown to me.
“I have no idea what happened to the corpses.”
Pinner, in an earlier interview had stated his identity and claimed that he is a citizen of Britain.
“I was captured at Mariupol. I am part of 36th brigade, 1st Battalion Ukrainian Marines…
“I was in Mariupol fighting for 5-6 weeks, and now I’m in the Donetsk People’s Republic.”
Russian forces captured Shaun Pinner (British fighter) after he surrendered to them in Mariupol. Russian television showed Shaun Pinner, a clean-shaven man with no visible injuries, being paraded to the cameras. On the broadcast, he said: “I am Shaun Pinner.”
Another clip suggests that he’s involved in Russia’s propaganda against Ukraine and Western Europe. He reportedly stated, “He doesn’t want war but wants to return home.”
The Russian Investigative Council is now interrogating Pinner. Alexander Bastrykin is the chairman of this committee. He is also a classmate at university.
This is the second Englishman to be caught at Mariupol.
It is uncertain what his fate will be in Donetsk’s hands and those of the Russians.
Before Shaun was taken in Ukraine, his family and friends left messages of well-wishes via Shaun’s Facebook Page. Shaun had posted a selfie showing him in battle gear with the Ukrainian flag.
Cassandra’s sister wrote, “Stay safe brother, I love you”
Another well-wisher commented, “Thinking of your brother and those around you,” while another stated, “Respect matey. Stay Safe, Move Fast, Keep Low.”
Russians have captured Aiden Aslin, a former care worker aged 28, on Tuesday. Pinner was also in his trenches in Ukraine while he was fighting.
His safety is a concern amid concerns that he might be treated by the Kremlin as a spy.
A photo of Aiden (28 years old) was uploaded on his social media. It shows Aiden in handcuffs, bruised and beaten.
The second photo, which was uploaded by a proRussia Telegram account and closer to Aiden’s cut, is a similar image.
In early March, around a week after Vladimir Putin launched his brutal invasion of Ukraine, Pinner gave a hard-hitting dispatch from near the front line, describing the situation as ‘chaos’.
He said that he’d been through a week of intense fighting.
Pinner confirmed that a few of his troops had been killed in the beginning of World War II, adding: “We have lost a few guys today.”
Mr Pinner filmed the dispatch as Vladimir Putin’s men laid siege to Kyiv and other major Ukranian cities. He doesn’t appear in the video. Security reasons require that he reveal his precise location. The Russian military has since withdrawn from Kyiv in order to focus their efforts towards the eastern part of the country.
Aiden Aslin (ex-care worker) was the first British fighter to be captured in Mariupol.
Russia’s state TV channels have broadcast suspect footage of Aslin being questioned by his captors after he was also forced to surrender in Mariupol.
The 28-year old Aslin joined Ukraine’s marines just four years back. Although he holds dual UK-Ukrainian citizenship as well as a Ukrainian fiancée, Russia is determined to make him an enemy agent and not a prisoner or war criminal.
This distinction is important because Russian law allows for lengthy imprisonment sentences and interrogation of those accused of spying.
While POWs can be released after the ceasefire, those convicted of spying may still remain in prison, possibly until an agent exchange is possible.
Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, southeastern Ukraine has been the scene of some of the most brutal fighting of the seven week-long conflict. The city was home to over 400,000 residents before Russia invaded. It has now been demolished by Russian bombardment.
Experts believe that the Russians will soon fall Mariupol because it is strategically important for their plans to strike eastern Ukraine. However, the terrorists hope that the Sea of Azov port will be as difficult to conquer as possible by the remaining underground supporters. Pictured: An explosion is seen in an apartment building after Russian’s army tank fires in Mariupol
In the midst of fighting close to Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks, service members from pro-Russian forces load rocket-propelled weapons into an infantry combat car.
Newark resident Mr Aslin had his face bruised and was shown on TV. He is believed to be being kept in a military facility.
Footage shows him being questioned by one of his captors off camera and he supposedly agrees with the suggestion that ‘those who stood with you [in Ukraine], they are killers’.
It is not clear if the recording was made for political purposes.
But last night Mr Aslin’s brother Nathan Wood said: ‘People should not believe anything the Russians say or are making my brother say. He’s being forced to speak what they want him to.
‘Anything that comes out of my brother’s mouth now, and the mouths of his Russian captors, are lies.’
Both Pinner and Aslin are believed to have been captured while fighting with Ukrainian soldiers to defence Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov in southeastern Ukraine.
The city has seen the worst fighting of the seven-week-long war. The city was home to over 400,000 residents before Russia invaded. However, it has now been demolished by indiscriminate Russian bombardment.
Russian forces have in recent days made advances in Mariupol and issued a chilling warning to the final troops defending the besieged city.
Russian soldiers (pictured) secured Tuesday Mariupol’s Drama Theatre, which had been destroyed by a missile attack on March 16.
Mariupol’s theater (pictured, Russian soldiers secure the building destroyed) was struck by a Russian missile. It claimed that it had been designated as ‘children’.
Russia issued a directive to Ukrainian soldiers to surrender or die, asking them to do so by Sunday at 6:00 AM Moscow Time (0300 GMT). This was after Russia claimed that their forces had destroyed the entire city. Only a few Ukrainian fighters remained in the Azovstal steelworks, located in the port’s south-eastern region.
According to the defense ministry, they stated that the Russian Armed Forces offered militants from nationalist battalions as well as foreign mercenaries a cease-fire and the opportunity to lay down arms. The defense ministry stated that all who surrender their arms will have their lives spared.
But with the last Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol refusing to surrender and accept Russia’s now-expired ultimatum, the Ukrainian MP for Odesa, Oleksiy Goncharenko, told BBC News the last defenders will ‘fight until the end’.
He explained that he had spoken with them yesterday and that they were going to fight until it’s over.
This comes just as Kharkiv was hit by deadly shelling, which resulted in 13 deaths and five more being injured over the weekend according to regional health authorities.