British Soldier Captured By Russian Troops Forced To Send 'Last Words' To Daughter

A British soldier captured by Russian troops has been forced to give his 'last words' in a chilling video.

John Harding from Sunderland has been fighting in Ukraine's Donbas region since 2018.

However, the man in his 50s has now been held captive by pro-Russian separatists in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, according to the BBC.

Russian TV presenter Marina Kim told him to give a message to his family and his country back home.

Georgian National Legion/BBC

Harding said in the video being shared on Telegram: "I would say to Boris Johnson, if you can help, if you can influence President Zelenskyy, if you can influence the president of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), or if you can influence President Putin, then please do.

“People’s lives are depending on this. So if you can, please help.”

Kim replied: "Maybe it could be like your last words – what would you tell [your daughter]?"

John said: “Obviously, I would tell her that I wish I’d spent more time with her, but I didn’t. I don’t really know.”

The Daily Mail says it's believed that Harding was captured at the Azovstal steelworks.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said in a statement to the BBC: "We are supporting the family of a British national and are concerned by his detention.

"We condemn the exploitation of detainees for political purposes and have raised this with Russia.

"We are in constant contact with the government of Ukraine on their cases and are fully supportive of Ukraine in its efforts to get them released."

SOPA Images Limited/Alamy Live News

The video comes at a concerning time for British people in the war-torn region.

British aid worker, Paul Urey, died in Ukraine last week as he was being detained by Russian separatists, according to The Guardian.

The news outlet says Urey died from 'underlying health conditions and stress'.

Two other British men, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, have also recently been sentenced to death in the DPR.

They were captured in Mariupol and have been put to trial in a Russian proxy court.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has hit out at Aslin and Pinner's sentence.

“They are prisoners of war," she said.

"This is a sham judgment with absolutely no legitimacy … my thoughts are with the families.

"We continue to do everything we can to support them.”