Shaun Pinner, who was released along with Aiden Aslin, was photographed with his family in a hotel room this morning by his mother Debbie Price, who thanked “all the amazing people” who made his release possible. The Presidium Network, a group involved in supporting the rescue of one of the five, said it knew all five had been reunited with close relatives, although they may not have returned home yet. Dominik Byrne, co-founder of Presidium, said: “We know they are safe in the UK and [have] reunited with their families.” A major diplomatic effort was behind the release of the five Britons, who along with two Americans, a Moroccan, a Croatian and a Swedish national, were released by Russia to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia said its mediation effort was led by its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who had pulled out of the queen’s funeral amid ongoing controversy over his alleged role in the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi. It is unclear whether the activity represented an attempt to bolster the crown prince’s position in the UK, but the Saudis were keen to show the former captives were safe in videos and photos released as they disembarked from the plane on Wednesday night. Ashlin, Pinner and the three other freed Britons – John Harding, Andrew Hill and Dylan Healy – were held by pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk, accused of being mercenaries fighting for Ukraine. Aiden Aslin, left, Shaun Pinner, right, and Moroccan Brahim Saaudun, center, behind bars in a courtroom in Donetsk. Photo: AP Ashlin and Pinner, who had joined the Ukrainian army and were captured in Mariupol, were sentenced to death by the court, a decision that violated the Geneva Conventions, which require that prisoners of war not be treated as criminals simply because they participated in battles. It had been assumed that Russia or pro-Russian separatists were trying to use the five men as diplomatic leverage. Their release came as something of a surprise and came after internet rumors that Aslin and Pinner had been executed. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. It was also part of a wider prisoner swap deal in which Russia released five commanders involved in the defense of the Azov steel mill in a mediation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for pro-Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk and 200 other prisoners . in exchange for 55 Russians. Russia usually exchanges prisoners on a one-for-one basis and feared the separatists would put the defenders of the Azov steel plant from Mariupol on trial. That he has moved away from holding the prisoners suggests a rare concern for global public opinion on Moscow’s part.
