aiden aslin, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. it is just over a year since you were released from captivity after being held by the pro russian forces in occupied donetsk. looking at you, your physical scars have healed. what about your mental scars? erm, definitely my physical scars have definitely healed or, like, i m now a lot bigger compared to when i was released. i m sure everyone would remember the images. i was a lot skinnier than i am now. but i think mentally, you know, i m mentally better than i was, especially, like, just coming out of captivity. erm, but as most people can probably observe, like, i still have, like, a lot of issues mentallyjust dealing with going back out into the big wide world after going through what we did go through. i am wondering how a youth in his late teens turning 20 could become so fixated on fighting in other people s wars. because that s what happened. pretty much, erm, and i think.i think, like, the important thing to realise is.is t
hi there, thank you for being with us. we begin with the latest on the israel gaza war, because a key hospital in gaza city has been told by israel to evacuate according to the palestine red crescent which warned that 400 patients and 14 thousand displaced people were sheltering there. israel hasn t confirmed the order but a military spokesperson said that they had killed what he called dozens of terrorists during bombing of the territory including senior commanders of hamas which is designated a terrorist organisation by the uk, us and other governments. the red crescent director says the area around the al quds hospital has been under attack, causing panic. further south, thousands of people broke into aid depots taking flour and other basic supplies after an israeli blockade severely limited amounts into gaza. our international editor jeremy bowen is in southern israel and sent this report. people are living in the ruins in gaza. the israelis insist that they h
this is bbc news. we ll have the headlines at the top of the hour as newsday continues, straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i m stephen sackur. in war, not all soldiers are fighting on or for their own soil. thanks to the internet, it has become easier than ever before for foreigners to immerse themselves in conflicts very farfrom home. my guest today is a young british man, aiden aslin, who has a remarkable story. hejoined the ukrainian army. he was captured, tortured and sentenced to death by putin s forces. he survived thanks to a prisoner swap. but why did he risk everything in someone else s war?
incredibly offensive for weeks. there has been incredibly heavy fighting characterised by battles on the streets characterised by battles on the streets and artillery bombardment. that artillery has now taken out of the last that artillery has now taken out of the last of that artillery has now taken out of the last of the bridges that connected to the mainland, or to the rest of connected to the mainland, or to the rest of the connected to the mainland, or to the rest of the donbas. what is important here is they have been fears important here is they have been fears for important here is they have been fears for a important here is they have been fears for a long time that what we could fears for a long time that what we could he fears for a long time that what we could be seeing in severodonetsk is a new could be seeing in severodonetsk is a new mariupol, a repeat of the siege a new mariupol, a repeat of the siege of a new mariupol, a repeat of the siege of the