The atrocities committed by Putin’s forces in Ukraine are only starting to be uncovered and understood.
Abandoned by the Russians following a weeks-long occupation, Bucha, outside Kyiv, has been targeted by a monstrous military machine that is willing to use terror against civilian populations as part of its armoury.
The emerging evidence is horrific.
And it begs the question – what horrors remain in the shadows?
Mariupol has been amongst the most tortured theatres of the war for Ukraine.
Its streets have been reduced to rubble and a terrible human toll exacted. The city is currently on the cusp of falling.
Its last defenders were holed up in a disused factory, with no ammunition to fight with, no provisions to sustain themselves and no prospect of being rescued.
It was a situation without hope.
And now a few among their number have been captured.
They include Aiden Aslin, a British national who has served with the Ukrainian military for four years.
The conditions in which he has been held are not clear.
But he is ostensibly now a prisoner of war.
‘Russian propaganda dressed up as exclusive news’
On April 18, Graham Phillips, a Dundee university graduate who describes himself as an independent journalist, interviewed the incarcerated and handcuffed Aslin on camera.
It was a horror show from start to finish, with Phillips’ opening declaration that the interview was taking place in line with protocols set out under the Geneva Conventions clearly a sham.
The unfortunate Aslin was later told he was lucky to be in the situation in which he found himself.
Presumably because “unlucky” would, in this context, mean dead.
It was clear from Graham Phillips’ manner and his questioning throughout the 45-minute recording that this was not the work of someone who can legitimately describe themselves as a journalist, or independent.
This was no more than Russian propaganda dressed up as exclusive news.
Graham Phillips has since been described in various quarters as a stooge of the Russian state, while his actions in recording and publishing the Aslin video have been condemned in the House of Commons.
Whatever he is, he does not represent quality, independent journalism – something which is absolutely vital when misinformation is used as a weapon of war.
My PMQ today regarding the mistreatment of my constituent, Aiden Aslin.
Degrading POWs for propaganda purposes is a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention.
And platforms like @YouTube should take down this grotesque content immediately. pic.twitter.com/m6KbfvC9lL
— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) April 20, 2022
Graham Phillips represents a skewed reality where truth does not equate to immutable fact.
The Aslin video was reckless, dangerous and potentially illegal. And it serves no one but Putin and his terrible agenda.
This and Phillips’ other regular online missives should be approached with the utmost caution.
Or, better still, ignored for the Kremlin propaganda they so patently are.
