Out of ammunition and food, Newark soldier Aiden Aslin's unit has no option other than to surrender to Russians in Ukrainian city of Mariupol
Newark soldier Aiden Aslin is soon be captive in Russian hands.
The Newark area is today asked to pray for Aiden and his Ukrainian comrades who have run out of ammunition and food and are said to have no option other than to surrender.
Aiden is said to be strong in spirit and wished everyone to know that he loves them and surrendering to the Russians is only marginally better than surrendering to the Chechyns.
The 36th Marine Brigade has been fighting for 48 days straight, is exhausted, and has said that it has done everything humanly possible in the defence of its homeland.
Their commander is due to meet his Russian counterpart in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol where they have valiantly held out since Russia invaded.
Aiden's mum Ang, from Balderton took a call from her son's friends in Ukraine at 3.30am this morning (Tuesday).
She then rang Aiden who told her their supplies of ammo had run dry and their only choice was to surrender, knowing the consequences.
"He was OK and had made contact with his fiancee," said Ang.
"Of course I'm worried about him and his unit going into Russian hands, but they are the most bravest and courageous men right now. They fought until they couldn't fight any more. They had no food, no ammunition, only water. He said that last night Russians dropped a chemical bomb via a drone over civilians and soldiers.
"A despicable act and another war crime Putin needs to be accountable for his actions
"Everyone who knows Aiden knows he's a good man. A son, a grandson, uncle and cousin and brother."
In a video message, a friend said it was his intent to ask for your prayers and to share the message to garner as much media attention as possible so as to somehow hold the Russians accountable for his treatment, which he said should be with fairness, with dignity and the honour he deserves.
He's a good man, good son, good grandson, good uncle, good cousin good husband, good human being," said the friend. "He went to Ukraine to help people as he loved them; the same reason he went to Syria to protect people, that's why he went Mariupol and fought to the last measure. An honourable man. he deserves for his message to be heard, deserves the attention, deserves for us to make his story known."
The 36th said on Facebook they continued to fight for as long as possible, with cooks, drivers and musicians taking up arms.
"Today will probably be the last battle, as the ammunition is running out," it said.
"It's death for some of us, and captivity for the rest."
It added that it had been pushed back and surrounded by the Russian army.
Aiden previously said Russian forces were firing into the city indiscriminately, shooting innocent civilians and destroying everything they could in terms of industry.
He had previously said that the Ukrainian defenders were turning the tide against the Russian horde.
He has spoken about his fears of capture, being British, and the treatment he may receive.
Mariupol has seen the most intense fighting began and more than 10,000 civilian deaths have been reported to date, but, it is claimed, the truer number could be 20,000.
There are unverified reports that Russia has deployed a chemical weapon attack on the city to hasten its fall.
Aiden’s Ukrainian fiancee escaped the bombing of Mykolaiv and has made her way to the safety of Hungary as a refugee and his family are ready to welcome her to Balderton if she chooses to come to the UK.
Aiden has dual UK and Ukrainian citizenship following three years of military service. His tour-of-duty was up but he chose to re-enlist with the threat of invasion looming.
Advertiser news editor Dan Churcher said: "I, and the Advertiser, have had a long friendship with Aiden dating back to his days as a freedom fighter in Syria alongside the Kurds against terror and our thoughts and prayers for his safe delivery from this crisis are with him and his family."
