Aiden Aslin
Aiden Daniel John Mark Aslin (Ukrainian: Ейден Аслін; born 7 January 1994) is a British citizen who was captured by Russian forces in April 2022 while fighting as a Ukrainian Marine in Mariupol. He was sentenced to death on 9 June by authorities of the Russian-backed breakaway unrecognised puppet state, the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), for "mercenary activities and committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the DPR." He was released in a prisoner exchange in September 2022.
Aiden Aslin | |
---|---|
Aslin in 2021 | |
Birth name | Aiden Daniel John Mark Aslin |
Nickname(s) | Rojhat Rojava, Johnny Wood, Cossack Gundi |
Born | Newark, Nottinghamshire, England | 7 January 1994
Allegiance | Rojava Ukraine |
Service/ |
|
Years of service | 2015–2016 (YPG) 2018–2022 (Ukraine) |
Unit | People's Defence Unit 36th Separate Marine Brigade |
Battles/wars |
|
Before that, in 2015, Aslin travelled to Rojava, also known as the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). There, he served as a foreign volunteer for the Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG), fighting against the Islamic State. Aslin was briefly detained upon his return to the United Kingdom. In 2018, he travelled to Ukraine and settled in Mykolaiv, and has applied for Ukrainian citizenship.