Aiden Aslin among five UK nationals released by Russian-backed forces

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A Briton who was threatened with execution after being captured by Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol has been released with nine other foreign fighters following the intervention of Saudi Arabia.

Aiden Aslin and “the other British prisoners of war held captive by the Russian authorities” were already on their way back to the UK, Aslin’s MP, Robert Jenrick, said after being flown first from Russia to Saudi Arabia.

“Aiden’s return brings to an end to months of agonising uncertainty for Aiden’s loving family in Newark who suffered every day of Aiden’s sham trial but never lost hope,” Jenrick added.

Aslin was forced to surrender with his comrades in April after they ran out of food and ammunition as the Russians closed in on Mariupol. He had moved to Ukraine in 2018 and had joined its army for some time before the war.

Two Americans were also among the released, Alexander Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh, both US military veterans who had volunteered to fight from Alabama.

The names of the others were not initially confirmed, but they include five Britons, the foreign office said. The Saudi foreign ministry said the others were nationals from Morocco, the US, Sweden and Croatia as well as Britain, who had been released following the intervention of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Aslin, from Newark, and Shaun Pinner, from Watford, and a Moroccan, Saadun Brahim, were sentenced to death on charges of “terrorism” by a court in Russian-controlled east Ukraine in June, in a ruling condemned by then foreign secretary Liz Truss as “a sham judgment”.

The three were put on trial despite being active soldiers. The Geneva Conventions state that prisoners of war on all sides must not be prosecuted for their direct part in hostilities, although they were convicted on the charge of “being a mercenary”.

James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, said he welcomed “the safe return of Ukrainian prisoners of war and one civilian, including five British nationals”. It brought “to an end many months of uncertainty and suffering, including the threat of the death penalty, for them and their families, at the hands of Russia.”

A statement from the Saudi foreign ministry said: “The relevant Saudi authorities received and transferred them from Russia to the kingdom and are facilitating procedures for their respective countries.”