Putin's Prisoner

My Time as a Prisoner of War in Ukraine

Aiden Aslin, John Sweeney

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Paperback

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English

Bantam
25 July 2023

Biography; Biography: historical, political & military; True war & combat stories; Geopolitics

The first account from a prisoner of war in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. A shocking, hugely powerful memoir by British-born Ukrainian marine Aiden Aslin, who spent six months in Russian captivity.

Aiden Aslin joined the Ukrainian marines in 2018, compelled to defend his adopted homeland from the growing threat of Russian invasion. In February 2022, as Russia mounted a full-scale offensive, Aiden and his unit were stationed at the frontline at Mariupol.

Pinned down at a Mariupol steelworks, after a month-long siege and running out of supplies, Aiden was part of the mass surrender of over a thousand Ukrainian troops, in April 2022. Then his real ordeal began.

Singled out for his British passport, Aiden was interrogated, tortured, stabbed, turned into a propaganda zombie, tried by a kangaroo court and then sentenced to death. A victim of a catalogue of abuses of international law, Aiden struggled to cling on to any hope of survival. Certain that he was going to be executed, he was eventually freed in a prisoner exchange and permitted to return home.

In Putin's Prisoner, Aiden will tell the full, harrowing story of his time fighting in Putin's war, of his six months in Russian captivity, and of his hardened resolve to defend the freedoms of the people of Ukraine.

By: Aiden Aslin, John Sweeney
Imprint: Bantam
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 21mm
Weight: 351g
ISBN: 9780857505309
ISBN 10: 0857505300
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 25 July 2023
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

John Sweeney (Author) John Sweeney is a writer and journalist who, while working for the BBC, has challenged dictators, despots, cult leaders, con artists and crooked businessmen for many years. As a reporter, first for the Observer and then for the BBC, Sweeney has covered wars and chaos in more than eighty countries and been undercover to a number of tyrannies, including Chechnya, North Korea and Zimbabwe. Over the course of his career, John has won an Emmy, two Royal Television Society Awards, a Sony Gold Award, a What the Papers Say Journalist of the Year Award, an Amnesty International Award and the Paul Foot Award. Aiden Aslin (Author) Aiden Aslin is a British-born resident of Ukraine. Living in Mykolaiv with his fiance, he joined the Ukrainian marines in 2018 and was called to the frontline ahead of the Russian invasion in February 2022. He was one of over a thousand soldiers who surrendered after the month-long siege at the Mariupol steelworks, whereupon he was singled out for his British passport. His surrender, captivity, treatment and subsequent release received global media attention.

Reviews for Putin's Prisoner: My Time as a Prisoner of War in Ukraine

A great read. An amazing story. * Jeremy Vine * Engaging and horrifying in equal measure. A powerful story and insight into modern war. * Soldier * Horrifying, heart-rending, inspiring. Five stars. * Army Rumour Service * Both a warning and a message of hope. Aslin survived to tell his story - and we should listen. * Irish Independent * An absolutely incredible book. * Rig Biz Podcast *