Aiden Aslin’s mother tells how Putin’s henchmen sent her videos of her son being tortured after they captured him in Ukraine but she bravely told them to ‘f*** off’
- Brave mother of British PoW Aiden Aslin told his Russian captors to ‘f*** off’
- Cruel Putin goons would send her videos of his torture over social media
- They wanted her to pressure Boris Johnson to secure release of Medvedchuk
- Aslin was released on Weds in prisoner swap brokered by Roman Abramovich
- He had an emotional with his mum, family and Ukrainian fiancée in Newark
The mother of a recently-freed British prisoner of war said that Putin’s goons would send her videos of her son being tortured – but she bravely told them to ‘f*** off’ every time.
Angela Wood, 51, was repeatedly contacted by the monsters who held her son, British fighter Aiden Aslin, 28, during the five months they imprisoned him after he was captured in Mariupol.
But she was not intimidated by their threats and demands and told them where to go when they shamefully sent her images and videos of her son suffering.
The horrifying clips showed Aslin bound on the floor, surrounding by screaming Russians in a cesspit jail in Russian-held Donetsk, Ukraine.
Mum-of-three Angela was pressured by the Russians over social media to convince Boris Johnson to secure the release of Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, 58, long thought to be Putin’s man in Ukraine.
She told The Sun: ‘They knew how vulnerable the families were, how anxious we felt, and they tried to turn the screw in a bid to take us to breaking point.
Aiden Aslin made a dramatic return to the UK on Thursday after a prison swap between Russia and Ukraine that saw hundreds of PoWs fighting on Ukraine’s side released from Russian hellhole jail cells
Angela Wood and her son Aiden Aslin made an emotional reunion on Thursday after five months of the Russians sending her videos of Aiden being tortured
British fighter Aslin, left, was captured by Russian forces in April fighting to defend the port city of Mariupol during a brutal siege
Kremlin ally in prisoner swap
Viktor Medvedchuk, pictured shortly after his arrest, was reportedly released in exchange for the 10 prisoners of war which included five Brits
Russian nationalists reacted with fury yesterday after Ukraine secured the release of more than 200 prisoners of war.
The surprise deal saw commanders and soldiers from the elite Azov regiment freed with just 55 Russian detainees handed to Moscow, including staunch Putin ally Viktor Medvedchuk, pictured. But Kremlin hardliners said Russia should have sought more concessions.
Former Russian colonel Igor Girkin branded the pact ‘treason’. He said the prisoner exchange ‘was worse than a crime and worse than a mistake. It is unacceptable stupidity’.
‘We have freed 215 of our people… of whom 124 are officers. Of those we have freed, 108 are Azov fighters,’ said Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff.
Moscow also released ten foreigners, including five British nationals.
Last night, Ukraine’s military intelligence unit said many of those freed showed signs of torture.
‘They knew we were suffering and they tried to exploit it for their own gains.
‘It was extremely hard to deal with — but we refused to play their games. As a mum, you’ll do everything to stop your children being harmed.
‘You don’t want to see your son tied and bound. I could hear Russians in the background demanding things.
‘But I refused to be cowed so I fought back. I told them to f**k off every time.’
Aslin was reunited with his family on Thursday after being released by Russia in an elaborate prisoner swap involving hundreds of individuals.
In June he had been sentenced to the death penalty before a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic alongside four other Britons – John Harding, 59, Dylan Healy, 22, Andrew Hill, 35, and Shaun Pinner, 48.
The Russians tried similar tactics with the family of Pinner, who was captured along with Aslin in April as they laid siege to the port city of Mariupol.
On Wednesday Aslin released a video confirming they were ‘out of the danger zone’ as the pair were flown to Saudi Arabia on a Saudi diplomatic jet.
Angela praised the support she received from the parents of Aslin’s fellow PoWs the Foreign Office, MPs and the Ukrainian ambassador in getting through her five-month ordeal.
She said they collectively provided her with the strength to stand up to Putin’s goons and resist their pressure.
Aslin spent his first day of freedom back on British soil with his family in Newark, Nottinghamshire in an emotional reunion.
The release was brokered by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, 55, who joined the Brits on the flight to Saudi Arabia and even gave them iPhones so they could call their families.
The five hostages made an emotional return to UK and ate steak, canapes and tiramisu with the Russian oligarch, according to reports.
Angela sent an emotional message of thanks to the oligarch, who has been sanctioned by the UK and most other western nations for his past involvement with the Kremlin, but is now attempting to play peacemaker in the war in Ukraine.
Angela said: ‘I want to thank you so much. I’ll forever be grateful.’
She also thanked the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his successor, Liz Truss, Newark MP Robert Jenrick, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
She told the BBC that she had only found out about her son’s released from the Foreign Office on the morning it happened.
‘I thought this day would never happen,’ an elated Angela said. ‘His release happened overnight, I’m still in shock.
‘The first thing I needed to do was to give him a big hug and make sure it was real. It still doesn’t feel real now.’
From left: John Harding, Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin pose for a selfie as they sit on a flight out of Russia to Saudi Arabia Wednesday evening
Pinner (right) and Aslin (left) were sentenced to death, along with Moroccan Saaudun Brahim (centre) in June this year by a pro-Russian separatist court
Aslin, pictured here during his time in captivity in Donetsk, thanked people for their support after being releasedon Wednesday
Roman Abramovich (right) met British POWs who faced the threat of a Russian firing squad in Ukraine on a luxury private jet from Russia to Saudi Arabia and gave them iPhones so they could call their families, it’s been reported. Mr Aslin (left) arrived at his mother’s house in Newark, Nottinghamshire, around 2pm. The former care worker had spent five months behind bars, during which time he was stabbed by prison guards and endured mock executions
But even on Tuesday, the day before his release, rumours were circulating on social media that the Russians had carried out the death penalty sentence on Aslin.
‘The way he was treated whilst in captivity was inhumane, and against the Geneva conventions,’ she said.
‘Aiden is okay, but he will need time to adjust. He was being used for propaganda purposes, I’m so glad there will now be no more of that,’ she said.
‘Watching the propaganda videos was horrific, we knew it was all lies.’
Aslin has also been reunited with his Ukrainian fiancée, Diana Okovyta, who he will now set about building a life with.
Aslin, pictured with his fiancée Diana Okovyta, who he will now set about building a life with
Aiden Aslin arrives back at his home in Balderton, Newark, Thursday, after being released by Russian-back separatists following months in detention
Tales of Abramovich’s role in the prisoner release reveal that the Russian billionaire, tried to make the former captives comfortable and they joked to Abramovich that Mr Pinner is a West Ham fan who chatted to him about football.
The captives had spent the previous two days in transit, first being driven bound and blindfolded from eastern Ukraine to an unknown destination in Russia. They were then flown to Saudi Arabia where they received medical attention and were met by British consular officials before a British Airways flight brought them home, where their delighted relatives were waiting.
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