The man behind the YouTube video that saw war prisoner Aiden Aslin speaking after he was captured by Russians says he is "happy to answer for all of my actions, to anyone" once he will return to UK later this year. It comes after the Google-owned platform confirmed the video was taken down on Friday evening (April 22).
Aiden Aslin, 28, originally from Newark, was captured while fighting for Ukrainian armed forces and has appeared in a YouTube video calling for his freedom 'under duress'. The 45-minute film was released online, during which the prisoner was questioned by Graham William Phillips, a man believed to be from Nottingham who has previously worked for the Kremlin-backed television channel RT and been accused of spreading Moscow’s propaganda.
During the film, Mr Aslin answers 'no' when asked several times if he was speaking under duress. Questioned by Phillips, he recounts his time with the Ukrainian military and repeats several of Moscow’s propaganda lines, including that he was a mercenary and not a legitimate combatant.
