Newark man Aiden Aslin willing to fight and die in defence of Ukraine and says conflict, if it comes, will be bloody

A Newark man is willing to fight and die if necessary in defence of Ukraine, his adopted country.

Aiden Aslin is one of three Brits serving in the trenches on the frontline between Russia and Ukraine.

The threat of all-out war grows daily and Aiden and his comrades can hear shelling as they ready for the attack that The West predicts.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has amassed as many as 100,000 troops on Russia's border with Ukraine and has begun battle-ready exercises on the Belarusian border, opening up the possibility of a second front.

As The West calls for de-escalation and embattled UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson stands jointly with Ukraine's president calling for Russia to step back from the brink, Aiden said he was ready to fight.

Aiden, who gain Ukrainian citizenship after three years of military service, has set an April date of marriage to his Ukrainian sweetheart, after which they hope to get a mortgage on an apartment in West Ukraine.

But for now, thoughts of their future together rely on what Vladimir Putin does next.

The 28-year-old, whose family are back home in Newark, is a private in the Ukrainian Marine Corps, the Морська піхота України, part amphibious, part airborne. He and the other Brits were the first British Nationals to complete Ukrainian parachute training and earn their Jump wings to wear the coveted Ukrainian Marine beret.

His three-year enlistment was up last September but with conflict on the horizon, he re-enlisted. His home is around an hour's drive from the Russian border.

Aiden, who fought alongside the Kurds in Syria after quitting his job as a carer, said: "I've served for four years. Every soldier knows the responsibilities and dangers they face when they sign up, you go into this job knowing the dangers you will face.

"I've prepared my fiancee and set up bug-out bags with documents and food and water in the event they invade.

"We live three hours from the Crimean border so there's always the possibility that Russia might decide to push in that direction.

"Unfortunately because I'm deployed on the frontline I had to ask my brother-in-law to make sure to come pick her up if the worst happens as they live in a nearby city. For myself I know if I'm captured I know I will be treated worse considering I'm British.

"Ukraine maybe at a disadvantage in regards to size and technology, but Ukraine won't make it easy for Russia and they will inflect a lot of casualties on them. It will be a very bloody conflict on both sides.

"If Ukraine fell, this would be a major victory for Russia and re-establish Vladimir Putin's position on the world stage."

He said the Russians were already operating in East Ukraine either as saboteurs, provocateurs or in the backing of separatists, some of whom have already targeted him and his Ukranian family.

"Russians have operated here since the beginning, he said. There is countless evidence of Russia operating militarily in East Ukraine. In the beginning of the war, the Ukrainian military was winning and the war could of ended after a few more months, but Russia attacked from across the border pushed their resources into making sure the separatists don't lose.

"I personally believe if Russia does go though with it, the invasion will be limited to the east of the Dnipro River, which acts a great defensive barrier. If Russia were to take it, they would also capture a key canal that runs from the Dnipro all the way to Crimea. Ukraine blocked the canal due to the Russian invasion in 2014.

"I think it would be a limited operation while utilising their proxy militias like what was seen early in the conflict, just on a bigger scale with possible use of air strikes.

"At the moment I'm deployed to the frontline in the east on my third deployment.

"The front at times can be very quiet but then it can kick off and we get to work.

"On our last deployment we didn't encounter any shelling directly but heard plenty further down the line. During my first deployment in 2019 we were shelled regularly before the new ceasefire measures were brought into place."

Aiden said Russia had paused at the brink of war before and there was a possibility that would happen again, with President Putin seeking concessions and a winning position through posturing and threats instead.

"In 2018 while I was going though two months of Ukrainian Marine basic training, Russia seized our ships as they passed into the Sea of Azov passed Crimea and everyone thought there would be a war then, but, compared to now, they've moved more groups and equipment, nothing of which has been seen since the preparation of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan."

He still hopes diplomacy and the will of NATO and The West will prevail before the shooting starts in earnest.

"If countries continue to increase support for Ukraine and stand their ground against Russia I believe it might help. At the end of the day Ukraine doesn't need British troops or Americans troops on the ground to defend. What we need is your support politically and support in defence weapon systems such as anti aircraft missile systems and counter-battery radar systems."

Last year Aiden took part in the US-led Exercise Seabreeze and spent two weeks training alongside US Marines from 1/6 Battalion. He also took part in a joint training exercise alongside the British Army in September last year working together with 5th Rifles.

Aiden first became interested in Ukraine following the Maidan Protests, a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in that country in late 2014.