One of the British men detained by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has revealed that Roman Abramovich helped negotiate their release.
The five British men boarded a BA flight from King Khalid International Airport, Saudi shortly at 12.35am on Thursday on their way to Heathrow to be questioned by UK government officials before being allowed to meet their families. They had been released by their Russian captors on Wednesday morning.
One passenger on the flight, engineer Alec Pettet, said he spoke to the men after hearing one of them had been shot while in Ukraine.
Mr Pettet said the five Britons were seated together and looked exhausted following their ordeal but remained in good spirits and were happy to chat with other passengers.
Mr Pettet explained: "It was very obviously a huge relief to be on a BA flight and on the way back to the UK after what they'd been through.
"They were all pretty tired and they said they'd been badly beaten by Donbass rebels and the Russian secret police, but still, they made it out and were able to tell their story.
"One of the men, Andrew Hill, said that Roman Abramovich had helped secure their safety as part of a group involved in negotiating their release. He didn't know much more about it but he was very grateful.
"I spoke with the men shortly after we took off from Saudi. I just wanted to let them know I was happy they were safe and had made it out alive. The five of them were sitting together and wanted to know if people knew anything about their story.
"I explained that I'd read about them in the paper and then I'd realised who they were when I heard Andrew tell one of the air stewardesses that he'd been shot in Ukraine. I guessed they were the detainees who had been released. They were in good spirits and one of them, John Harding, even joked about being disappointed about how he looked in the paper.
"One of the men, Andrew Hill said they'd been very scared and didn't know what was going to happen to them - they'd feared the worst. I said I'd been afraid they might not have made it and he said they'd said they felt the same.
"They were all seated together on the BA flight in economy so I waited until we cleared Saudi airspace and then I bought them some drinks and they got some hot food. It was the least I could do."
It is understood that John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were released alongside Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin as part of an exchange between Ukraine and Russia.
In April, Aiden Aslin, 28, from Newark, and Shaun Pinner, 48, from Watford were captured by Russian forces on the charges of “terrorism”. Putin's troops accused them of being mercenaries, despite the Brits saying they were serving in the Ukrainian marines, and serving the country’s armed forces for several years prior to the invasion.
They were brought before a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic where they were consequently sentenced to death by firing squad at the Russian proxy court.
The other three - now released - prisoners were British aid workers. Mr Harding was captured by Russian forces in May 2022, after fighting alongside Ukrainian forces at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. Prior to being released this week, he too faced the death sentence in Russia.
Aid worker Mr Healy, from Cambridgeshire, was captured at a military checkpoint alongside Paul Urey who died in July while being held by Russian-backed separatists.
And new information has gone to suggest that Andrew Hill, 48, from Plymouth, was captured after he was ordered to defend a position that had already been abandoned by another unit due to intense Russian fire, report Plymouth Live.
A statement published on Wednesday by the foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia - which helped broker the deal - said that ten prisoners of war had been set free. It was added that fighters from the US, Morocco, Sweden and Croatia had also been released.
In a personal message recorded on their flight home, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner thanked all those who had worked hard to free them. Mr Aslin said: "We're now out of the danger zone and on our way home to our families," while a smiling Mr Pinner chimed in saying: "By the skin of our teeth."
Mr Aslin continued: "We just want everyone to know the good news. Thanks to everyone who has been supportive. It's really appreciated."
Roman Abramovich, 55, was sanctioned by the UK government for his ties to Vladimir Putin and the Russian regime, following Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine. It has since been claimed that his capital in Britain has either been sold or frozen following the war.
Born in 1966 in Saratov, Russia, the millionaire became a household name for his role as owner of Premier League club Chelsea. He was also well-known for his friendships with former Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, and current president, Vladimir Putin.
