A Briton captured in Ukraine was shown on Russian state television while wounded and asked his captors “Am I safe?”
Andrew Hill, 35, was shown with his hand in a sling and bandaged head after receiving a gunshot wound while asking when he could return to England.
The father of four Plymouth children, Devon, is believed to have volunteered as part of Ukraine’s foreign legion in a Western militia unit including Scott Sibley, a former British Army soldier killed last week.
Russia’s state television, Russia 1, claims Hill surrendered to Russian forces in the Nikolaev region.
Separately yesterday, it was reported that two British aid workers had been captured by Russian troops at a checkpoint.
I understand that Mr. Sibley, who served in the Royal Logistics Corps, was killed by Russian artillery in a village between Nikolaev and Kherson.
This comes when a former US Marine who fought alongside Mr. Sibley and Mr. Hill in a squad of foreign volunteers paid tribute to the two Britons.
Isaac Olvera tweeted that Mr Sibley had “died holding the line that now separates Western values from repressive autocracy” and, rejecting Russia’s claims that Mr Hill was a mercenary, said his motives for defending Ukraine are genuine and do not involve financial gain. ‘
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Two videos of Mr Hill, published by the Russian Ministry of Defense, were broadcast on Russian state television on Friday.
The channel reported: “Andrew Hill laid down his arms and surrendered to Russian servicemen in the Nikolaev region. A group of mercenaries in which the Briton was fighting was defeated and he was wounded.
Mr Hill said he had traveled alone to Ukraine to help, and had entered the country from Poland to help refugees near the border before being asked for “further help” in the country.
At one point, Mr. Hill looked up at his captors and asked, “Am I safe?”
Scott Sibley was killed in fighting in Ukraine last week
They told him it was, and then they asked, “Is there any way we can go back to England or something?”
One of his captors, who remained outside the cell, told him: “I absolutely cannot say at this time how long it will take, but you can be sure that nothing is threatening your life.”
Mr Hill said he was carrying a CZ “personal protection” firearm and was in a group of seven people, two of whom he did not know.
When asked how much he was paid, he said: “They didn’t pay me anything. They said they had to pay the people, but no one was paid. “
He also said that the only document he had with him was his passport, which Russian troops removed after capturing him.
I understand that other foreign volunteers were with Mr. Hill during the operation that led to his capture.
A former Tennessee Marine who worked in Ukraine with a private military company and an unnamed Danish citizen were also confirmed on Friday that they had been killed in Ukraine.
22-year-old Willie Joseph Cancel died in battles with Russian forces. He is the first American citizen to be confirmed killed in Ukraine.
A veteran of the British Armed Forces, Mr Sibley, was named this week the first UK citizen to be killed in fighting in Ukraine.
A tribute to Mr. Sibley on Mr. Hill’s page reads, “Calm down, brother.”
Isaac Olvera, an American fighter who was part of the same unit as the two Britons, said he met them after arriving in Ukraine.
Mr Olvera tweeted: “Scott and I arrived in Ukraine the same day and formed a team together. “I’m here to fight.” These were Scott’s words when I asked him what he wanted to do after we helped drive the Russians out of Kyiv and looked for our next mission.
“Scott’s second action was to transfer the skills he learned in the British Army to another hot anchor in Ukraine.
“He died holding the line that now separates Western values from repressive autocracy. Literally, his last action was to prevent RUS from invading a strategically important city.
In another series of tweets, he wrote: “I met Andy on the first day in Ukraine and until recently we were on the same team.
“He is not a mercenary. His motives for defending Ukraine were genuine and did not include financial gain.
“Whatever he says, keep in mind that he is under duress and his captors can force him to say anything. Our Andy may look hurt, but he is not defeated. We look forward to seeing you again, colleague. “
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