Sean Piner said he was fighting alongside Ukrainian Marines when Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded almost eight weeks ago. The 48-year-old former British soldier appeared tired and bruised in a short propaganda video that was broadcast by the Russian media on Saturday night. He says: “Hi, I’m Shaun Pinner, I’m a UK citizen. I was arrested in Mariupol. I am a member of the 36th Brigade of the First Battalion of Ukrainian Marines. “I fought in Mariupol for five to six weeks and now I am in the Donetsk People’s Republic.” It is not known when the video was shot or what led to Pinner’s arrest. He fought alongside his friend Aiden Aslin, 28, of Nottinghamshire, who is believed to have surrendered to the Russian military last week after ammunition ran out in his battalion. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth has contacted Aslin’s family to support them. However, the UK’s ability to provide consular assistance or information to British citizens in Ukraine is extremely limited due to the war. Pinnershire, originally from Bedfordshire, is believed to have moved to Ukraine four years ago and lived with his wife in Donbas. The former Royal English Army soldier said in January that he was based in trenches 10 miles outside Mariupol. He told the Mail on Sunday in January: “I am here to defend my family and my adopted city. Russia started this war. “It is funded by Russia and led by Russia, but we will fight them, make no mistake about it.” Piner also spoke of his fear of being arrested: “I’m afraid for my life. The Russians will treat us differently if they capture us because we are British. “It is always on my mind that I will be taken prisoner.” He said the trench warfare was “like hell” with the snipers terribly close. He added: “The separatists are now using drones to drop bombs and mortars – along with automatic grenade launchers and [shoulder-fired] RPG missiles. Snipers are always present and there are small arms fire almost daily. “Ukrainian forces respond if we consider our lives to be threatened, while the separatists seem to shoot whenever they want. “Sometimes it’s very scary even if you’re used to it. Sometimes you hear it [explosions] start below the contact line and then wave your position. So you have time to dive and sometimes you may receive a warning in advance. “The snipers are less than 600 meters away.”
