Xinhua News Agency Beijing, April 19th. Russian media played a picture of two British people allegedly captured in Ukraine on the 18th. They asked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to intervene and exchange them for Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Medveduck, who was detained by Ukrainian side.
On the same day, the Ukrainian government released a video of Medveduck, hoping to exchange himself for Ukrainian soldiers besieged in Mariupol .
April 17, in Mariupol, local residents walked past damaged buildings. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Victor)
In a video played by Russian official TV station Russia One, two British people called themselves Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin respectively. According to Reuters , the two men helped Ukraine fight in Mariupol and were captured by Russia.
Pinner shouted to Johnson in the video: "I know Mr. Medveduck has been detained, and we hope to exchange Mr. Medveduck with me and Aiden Asling."
Pinner said that he and Asling were treated kindly, "have food and water to drink."
Aslin wore an army green T-shirt in the video, with the logo of the Ukrainian armed forces "Azov Camp" on its sleeve. He said, "If Boris Johnson really cares about British citizens as he said," he should "pressure" on Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to "do the right thing, reunite Victor with his family, and let us reunite with our family."
Aslin calls on Johnson to listen to the call of Medveduck's wife Oksana Malchenko. Marchenko had called on Zelensky to release her husband and asked for help from the president of Turkey. On the 16th, she also called out to Pinner and Asling's family, hoping that they would ask the British government to exchange the two for Medveduc.
April 17, in Mariupol, local residents stood next to the damaged building. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Viktor)
In the video released by the Ukrainian National Security Agency, Medveducch first reported his name and then asked Russian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Zelensky to "exchange me for the defenders of Mariupol and residents who are still there and have no chance to evacuate from the humanitarian corridor."
Medveduck is the leader of the Ukrainian "opposition platform-for life" party and is regarded as a pro-Russian faction in Ukraine. In October 2021, Ukrainian law enforcement accused Medvechuk of treason and support for terrorism. Ukraine said that Medvechuk ran away while under house arrest at the end of February this year. On the 12th of this month, Ukraine announced the arrest of Medveduc and released photos of him wearing camouflage uniforms and handcuffs. Zelensky said on social media that day that he was willing to exchange Medvedchuk for Ukrainian personnel detained by Russia.
Russian President's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on the 212th that the authenticity of Medveduck's arrest could not be confirmed. The next day, whether to accept the exchange of Medvedchuk for detainees, Peskov said that Medvedchuk is not a Russian citizen, but a "foreign politician" and "has nothing to do with (Russia's) special military operations." "We are not even sure whether he wants Russia to participate in the resolution... this situation."
Peskov also said that Russia will pay attention to the situation in Medveduc and European leaders should do the same.
Russian Ministry of Defense said on the 216th that the Russian army has controlled all urban areas in Mariupol except the Azov Steel Plant. The remaining forces of the Ukrainian army and the mercenary are besieged in the Azov Steel Plant. (Hui Xiaoshuang)
Source: Xinhua News Agency
