British mercenaries urge PM Boris Johnson to exchange them for Putin's ally Medvedchuk

Amid the ongoing brutal war between Russia and Ukraine, two British mercenaries, who surrendered to Russian soldiers in Ukraine, have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, requesting his help in exchanging them for Ukrainian opposition politician Viktor Medvedchuk. The two British mercenaries have been identified as Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin, Sputnik reported. Notably, Medvedchuk, a fugitive Ukrainian oligarch and close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was detained by Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday, April 12. 

"Hi Mr Boris Johnson. Obviously, I am Shaun Pinner. A lot has gone on over the last five or six weeks that I'm not fully aware of. Obviously, I understand that Mr Medvedchuk has been detained, and we look to exchange myself and Aiden Aslin for Mr Medvedchuk. Obviously, I would really appreciate your help in this matter," Pinner said, Sputnik reported citing Russia's Rossiya 1 TV channel. The mercenary said that he and Aslin were being treated properly and that he was aware of his predicament. "We've been fed, watered. That's all I can really say, but I beg on my behalf and Aiden Aslin's behalf to help us in an exchange for Medvedchuk," Pinner added. 

Medvedchuk urges Russian & Ukrainian Presidents to exchange him for Ukrainian soldiers, Mariupol residents

Meanwhile, in his own appeal, Aslin indicated that if Prime Minister Johnson cared about the welfare of British citizens, he would assist in putting pressure on Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to do the right thing. Separately, the Ukrainian Security Service released a video, on Monday, in which Medvedchuk urged the Russian and Ukrainian Presidents to exchange him for Ukrainian soldiers and Mariupol residents. This comes a couple of days after Medvedchuk's wife, Oksana Marchenko, stated that she is yet to know the whereabouts of her husband. Marchenko further stated that she requested Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to release her husband but to no avail. 

Kremlin dubs Viktor Medvedchuk as a 'proponent of peace'

Earlier on April 13, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that Ukrainian leader Viktor Medvedchuk "never had any backstage relations with Russia." Speaking to reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Medvedchuk is well-known for his support for normal, mutually beneficial, partner relations between Ukraine and Russia. Notably, this stance of his has always been open. He further stated that Medvedchuk has long been a proponent of peace, opposing war and the escalation of the conflict in Donbass. 

Image: AP