Russia releases video showing British man captured in Ukraine
April 30, 2022, 6:00 am

Russia releases video showing British man captured in Ukraine

Russian troops destroyed the village of Kyiv Oblast (Photo: Euromaidan press via Vladimir Vetrogradskiy)

The StraitsTimes reported, citing Reuters, Russia's defence ministry on Friday (April 29) released a video showing an injured British man captured in Ukraine being questioned by unidentified Russian forces.

The man, who said his name was Andrew Hill and spoke with a British accent, was shown with a bandaged left arm, some sort of makeshift bandage around his head and blood on his right arm.

The man said under questioning about his rank: "I don't have a rank... I just know the foreign legion said I could help."

The Russian defence ministry said he had surrendered to Russian troops in the Mykolaiv region of southwestern Ukraine. He said that he was carrying a weapon.

The Russian Defense Ministry showed a video of a captured British citizen who allegedly fought on the side of the Ukrainian forces.
"Andrew Hill laid down his arms and surrendered to Russian servicemen in the Mykolaiv region. A group of mercenaries, in which the Briton fought, pic.twitter.com/fZpcVmrUFp
— bigrussianshop🇷🇺 (@bigrussianshop) April 29, 2022

Britain's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The captured man told his Russian questioners that he was from Plymouth in southern England and had four children and a partner. He said he had travelled of his own accord to help Ukraine. He added that Russian soldiers took his passport.

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When the man asked if he was safe, one of the Russians answered: "Yes, you are safe absolutely."

The Russians said he would get medical care for his injuries, which appeared to include a bullet wound of some kind.

Source: straitstimes

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.