Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Soldier who faced firing squad back to war zone
And
BRITISH soldier Aiden Aslin is returning to Ukraine – just 50 days after escaping a Russian death sentence.
The 28-year-old was captured by Russian forces in April while fighting in Mariupol and was due to face a firing squad.
But the Saudi Crown Prince and ex-chelsea owner Roman Abramovich helped secure his release in September and he returned to the UK.
Aiden, of Newark, Notts, says he is returning as a Youtube “war correspondent” instead of as a combatant.
He plans to tell the stories of Ukrainian soldiers and firemen as well as ordinary civilians.
He said: “Obviously I don’t want to be captured again, but I feel there is still work to be done.”
Aiden built himself a new life in Ukraine in 2018, becoming engaged to Ukrainian Diane Okovyta and joining the marines.
He said he was beaten and kept in a lice-infested solitary cell for five months when his Russian captors found he was British.
His mother Ang Wood has slammed his treatment as “inhumane”.