A former care worker from Newark has said he is still alive as he fights alongside Ukrainian forces in the besieged city of Mariupol. Aiden Aslin, 28, moved to the eastern European country after meeting his fiancée in 2018 and became a Marine in the Ukraine military.
Since Russian president Vladamir Putin ordered the invasion of the country, Aiden has been helping with the attempt to hold back Russian forces. On March 22, he posted a video update on social media. Dressed in military gear, he said: "We still control the city. Ukrainians are fighting day and night. The will is tremendously strong and they are not going to be submitted by Russian imperialism.
"We were pushed back from our defensive front lines on the Donbass sector. Gradually day by day we were pushed back to Mariupol and since we’ve come to Mariupol we are on the outskirts defending it, just on the very outer districts. Russian forces have continued to target the civilian areas where we are not located. I know this first hand because I’ve watched it.
