Russian invaders capture another Briton in Ukraine

Russian invaders capture another Briton in Ukraine

Ukrinform
A British man, John Harding, who had been fighting Russia as part of the Azov Regiment was captured by Russian proxies and is being held in the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People's Republic” in eastern Ukraine.

That’s according to the BBC referring to Harding’s video interview with a Russian TV presenter.

In the video, he says he could face the death penalty and turns to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to facilitate his release.

The Foreign Office said it was concerned by his detention.

“It understood Mr Harding was captured in May when Ukrainian units he was fighting with at the Azovstal steelworks were forced to surrender. The units had been defending the south-eastern city of Mariupol at the time. The video says he was part of the Azov regiment. Mr Harding had told friends he was fighting as part of the Ukrainian National Guard,” the report reads.

Read also: Russia must bear full responsibility for Briton’s death in Donbas captivity - Foreign Office

Harding had been fighting in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region since 2018. He previously told the BBC he had travelled there to use his skills as a combat medic, to help in the fight against Russian proxies.

Two other British men, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, who were also captured in Mariupol, have been sentenced to death by a Russian proxy court in the “DPR.”

Both they and Mr Harding had moved to Ukraine around the same time and made the country their home.

This week Paul Urey, a British aid worker, died while being held by Russian proxies in east Ukraine. 

While citing and using any materials on the Internet, links to the website ukrinform.net not lower than the first paragraph are mandatory. In addition, citing the translated materials of foreign media outlets is possible only if there is a link to the website ukrinform.net and the website of a foreign media outlet. Materials marked as "Advertisement" or with a disclaimer reading "The material has been posted in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" No. 270/96-VR of July 3, 1996 and the Law of Ukraine "On the Media" No. 2849-Х of March 31, 2023 and on the basis of an agreement/invoice.

© 2015-2024 Ukrinform. All rights reserved.

Extended searchHide extended search
By period:
-