– I thought I was going to die. It was hell on earth, says British Shaun Pinner in an interview with The Sun.
The 48-year-old Briton remained Wednesday released from Russian captivityafter being sentenced to death in July by the separatist-controlled Donetsk court accused of being a foreign mercenary.
The release was part of what will be the largest prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia since February, where a total of 270 prisoners of war are said to have been released.
260,000 men are said to have left
Tortured with the ABBA
In front of the tabloid, Pinner says that in captivity he was forced to listen to ABBA repeatedly, as well as being stabbed and exposed to electric shocks. He goes on to say that he was served only stale bread and dirty water.
After being sentenced to death in July, together with Britain’s Aiden Aslin and Moroccan Brahim Saadum, they were transferred to another place where musical torture continued.
– Conditions were better, but they still sounded – and this time it was Cher’s Believe, he told The Sun, adding:
– The last six months have been the worst of my life. I never want to hear an ABBA song or see a loaf of bread again. I’m so lucky to be home, she says.
He was tried: Britons Aiden Aslin (right) and Shaun Pinner (right) and Moroccan Saaudun Brahim (center) were sentenced to death in July. They were released on Wednesday. Photo: AP / NTB
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Pinner lived in Ukraine and is said to have worked as a marine in the Ukrainian military.
Give up
Aiden Aslin, sentenced to death along with Pinner, also talked about it hard times in captivity in Russia.
– I never thought I’d get out alive, Aslin says in an interview with The sun.
POW: British foreign fighter Aiden Aslin (28) is said to have surrendered to Russian forces, after defending the port city of Mariupol along with defending Ukraine. Photo: Screenshot / Aslin’s Twitter page
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The 28-year-old had lived in Ukraine for several years and had joined Ukrainian government forces when the full-scale war broke out in February, NTB writes. However, during the siege of Mariupol, his battalion ran out of food and ammunition before surrendering.
According to Aslin, he was punched in the face when they found out he was British. He was then separated from the others and taken to the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic.
