Death-sentenced Brit soldier returns to Ukraine 50 days after Russian captivity
British soldier Aiden Aslin has revealed he is returning to Ukraine as a "YouTube war correspondent" just 50 days after being freed from a Russian death sentence.
The 28-year-old was captured by Russian forces in April while fighting in Mariupol and was due to face a firing squad after being sentenced to death, reports Mirror.
But the Saudi Crown Prince and ex-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich helped secure his release in September and he returned to the UK to be reunited with his family.
Aiden, of Newark, Nottinghamshire, said he is returning to Ukraine, not as a fighter, but as a YouTube "war correspondent".
He said he will report on the ongoing conflict for his YouTube channel by spending time on the frontline.
Aiden also plans to tell the stories of Ukrainian soldiers and firemen as well as civilians and their battle for survival.
"It's my home. Obviously, I don't want to be captured again, but I feel there is still work to be done. There are stories that need to be told," he said.
"I promised my fiancée that I wouldn't go back to the military. I don't expect to ever pick up a weapon again. I know that I may be a recognisable face in Ukraine, but I feel it's worth the risk."
Aiden said his motivation to return was his love for his adopted country of Ukraine despite his brush with death just two months ago.
He said he also wants to bring eyewitness accounts to a wide audience in the West and to keep suffering in the public eye.
Aiden, a serving soldier, was captured during the siege of Mariupol. With the ammunition and stocks of food and water gone, his unit was ordered to surrender.
He laid down his arms, only to be sentenced in a kangaroo court to death by firing squad and living under the constant threat of that sentence being carried out.
When he was released, Aiden's mum spoke out on his " six months of hell " in which her son was sentenced to death.