Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Putin threats won’t stop us
Brit fighters stand by Ukraine duo facing Russian firing squad
BRITISH fighters in Ukraine say they will not be deterred by the death sentence handed to Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner.
Former currency trader Macer Gifford said the pair’s grim fate has made him and other overseas volunteers determined to “never surrender” to Russian forces.
The so-called freedom fighters are putting their lives on the line against government and MoD advice and their acts are in desperation.
Macer, 35, is taking a brief break after spending six weeks training 1,500 Ukrainian troops in tactical, combat and casualty care. He plans to return to Ukraine this month.
Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mirror, he said: “Aiden is a good guy – everyone knows him. He is a lovely person, someone who cares.
“The sentencing of him and Shaun violates every single rule of war. It’s an abomination.
“There’s a sense of grim determination amongst fighters now. What’s happened will not deter us from fighting – only from surrendering.
“If we’re not treated like human beings under Geneva conventions, every international volunteer will simply say ‘What’s the point, why should we surrender only to be tried later in a kangaroo court’?”
CAPTURED
Shaun, 48, from Watford, Herts, and Aiden, 28, of Newark, Notts, were captured while fighting with the Ukrainian marines.
They and a Moroccan soldier were convicted as mercenaries by an unrecognised court in Russian-held Donetsk. Both Brits had been serving in Ukraine for two years – long before Russian president Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion.
Macer, from Cambridge – using a pseudonym to protect his family – insists morale has not been affected by the case.
“If people want to fight, they want to fight,” he said. “Passionate individuals will go regardless of what the penalties are.
“It reminds the UK Russia is not abiding by rules of law, as well as committing horrendous crimes in Ukraine.”
Ukraine says it is ready to swap Russian prisoners of war to secure their release. Last night the country’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, suggested they could be freed soon. In return Putin could demand the release of a number of pro-Kremlin Ukrainian politicians who have been detained for alleged spying.
“It will be a swap,” Mr Prystaiko told BBC News. “The important question is what will be the price for this.”
Macer joined the Kurdish YPG to fight against Islamic State in Syria 2015. He met Aiden at a training camp there in 2016.
They reconnected when Macer and a friend raised £130,000 to set up a training unit in Ukraine in April.
Macer and Aiden exchanged messages days before he was captured in Mariupol.
Macer, who has a partner in the
UK, went on: “He was fighting in Mariupol outgunned, outnumbered.
“I’d call on the British government
to make the best effort possible to free him.
“This is an affront to our country. I hope the British government will put together a strong response. I would want Aiden to know he hasn’t been
forgotten, that people value his service and genuinely appreciate the fact a young man is willing to fight in defence of a democratic and European country.”