West man fighting for Ukraine is captured by Russians
ANDREW HILL, a father-offour from Plymouth who went to fight in Ukraine, has been captured and paraded on Russian television.
The footage showed him appearing to be wounded with a head bandage and his left arm in a sling. He was asked questions about who he was and why he was in the country.
Hill said he had received first aid from Russian soldiers. He was subjected to an interrogation on the Russia-1 state TV channel and, when he asked how long he would be held before being allowed back to England, he was informed: “I can’t tell you anything about that, but you can rest assured you’re safe.”
It comes after another Briton, Scott Sibley, was killed in Ukraine and two of his compatriots, Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin, were captured by Russian forces, the Daily Mirror reports.
The Russia-1 report stated: “Andrew Hill laid down his arms and surrendered to the Russian military in the Mykolaiv region [in southern Ukraine], after the group of mercenaries in which he fought was defeated and he himself was injured.”
Ukraine has repeatedly denied that it has used ‘mercenaries’ to repel Russian forces. A former defence minister has said there is no “legal mechanism” in Ukraine allowing mercenaries to be recruited.
Hill was used to trumpet a Russian message when asked: “What would you like to say to other Englishmen who decide to go to Ukraine ?” He replied: “They need to really think about it, this doesn’t involve us.”
He was asked: “Where are you from? What city?” He replied: “Plymouth.” In other exchanges, he was asked if he had a wife and if his parents knew he was here. Hill said his father was dead but he had four children and a partner he was dating.
Asked if he had a weapon assigned to him, he said: “Yes, I was carrying a CZ.” He said he was in a group of seven when he was captured. “I actually have no idea who they were,” he added.
He said he had crossed the Ukraine border with Poland, and that he flew to Poland on his own and went to the border himself. He was asked how much he was paid. “They didn’t pay me,” he said.
Hill asked: “Am I safe?” The response was: “Yes, you’re safe, don’t worry.” When he asked how long he might have to wait before he was sent home, he was told: “I cannot say right now how long it’s going to take, but you can be sure that nothing dangerous to your life [will happen].”