Russian state television released a video of two alleged British prisoners of war asking to be exchanged for pro-Russian Ukrainian entrepreneur Viktor Medvedchuk. In the video aired Monday, the two men approach British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ask him to negotiate their release. The location of the recording was initially unclear.
Almost at the same time, Ukrainian domestic intelligence released a video of Medvedchuk asking to be exchanged for the remaining Ukrainian defenders and residents of Mariupol.
Britons arrested in Mariupol
According to Russian state broadcaster WGTRK, the alleged British POWs are Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, who allegedly fought for Kiev in the war in Ukraine. In the video, the two feral men do not comment on whether they are being held by the Russian military or by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. According to Russian media reports, the men have been arrested in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where fierce fighting has been going on for weeks.
The two men in the video are being questioned by WGTRK journalist Andrej Rudenko. He shows them a video published last week by Medvedchuk’s wife Oxana Marchenko, in which she calls for her to exchange her husband for the two Britons. The two prisoners then ask for such an exchange in English.
Accused of treason
Pro-Russian businessman Medvedchuk was arrested in Ukraine last week. He is accused of passing on Ukrainian military secrets to Moscow. He had been charged with high treason and placed under house arrest last year. Shortly after the war in Ukraine started on February 24, he went into hiding and was arrested last week.
In the video released by the Ukrainian secret service SBU, Medvedchuk, dressed in black, looks straight into the camera and addresses the heads of state of Russia and Ukraine: “I would like to thank Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy want to ask to speak out against Ukrainian defenders and… to exchange residents of Mariupol.”
Don’t be a “citizen of Russia”
Last week, Zelenskyi offered to exchange Medvedchuk for Ukrainian POWs. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov then stated that Medvedchuk was “not a Russian citizen”. Medvedchuk is considered a close confidant of Putin. According to the entrepreneur, the Kremlin boss is the godfather of his youngest daughter. With an estimated net worth of $620 million, Medvedchuk is the 12th richest Ukrainian.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
