Aiden Ashlin, 28, who goes by the name of “Johnny”, said that his unit tried to defend Mariupol, but “had no choice but to surrender to Russian forces.” “We have no food and no ammunition. Everyone was happy, I hope this war will end soon,” he added. He hopes it could become part of a prisoner exchange. The former caretaker from Newark, Nottinghamshire, uses the online nickname “Cossack Gundi” to inform thousands of his followers on social media about the defense of Mariupol. The statement added: “We are publishing this in direct consultation with his family. Until they tell us otherwise, we will continue to work to share the facts of the war. We hope for an exchange of prisoners.” In January, Mr. Aslin gave a joint interview with fellow volunteer soldier Sean Pinner, 48, to Sky News’ Stuart Ramsay. He said he had begun a new life in Ukraine with his fiancée before the invasion – which prompted him to stay and fight Vladimir Putin’s troops. He had previously volunteered to fight Islamic State in Syria before moving to Ukraine in 2018, where he served in the country’s Marines. Mariupol has been under intense attack by Russian forces for several weeks, with the United Kingdom “working urgently” to confirm reports of a possible chemical attack on the city. Foreign Minister Liz Truss said any confirmed use of such weapons in Mariupol would be a “weak escalation” of the war. Follow the Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker Mr Aslin’s arrest appears to be supported by other sources who have spoken to him. One of his friends told Atlas News: “I just talked to him [Aslin]. His unit has no ammunition or food. They have no choice but to surrender. He said he loves you all. He is strong in spirit and showed no weakness at all. “It is being handed over to the Russians, which is a little better than being handed over to the Chechens. Their commander will meet with them soon. Please, Lord, have mercy.” Image: Sky News’ Stuart Ramsay spoke with volunteer fighters in January Before the war broke out, Mr Aslin told Sky News that people thought he was crazy to sign a war and argued that he should not even be Ukrainian. “This is a real argument on their part, but I’m here, my fiancée is Ukrainian, I have a house in Ukraine, I’re raising a family,” he said. “There will always be this person who says I should not be here, but at the end of the day, if I’m not here, as if my government is not here, that’s the best thing I can do doing what the government is doing. I can not “.
