Podcast Summary: The History Podcast – Two Nottingham Lads: 4. Last Days in the Donbas
Host: Paul Kenyon (BBC Radio 4)
Air Date: January 14, 2026
Episode Overview
This gripping episode concludes the "Two Nottingham Lads" series, tracing the fates of Aiden Aslan and Graham Phillips—two British men from Nottingham who found themselves on opposite sides of the war in Ukraine. The focus is on Aiden Aslan's harrowing final months as a POW on death row in the Donbas, the personal and political machinations that secured his release, and a reckoning with life after captivity. It also charts the divergent post-war trajectories of both Aiden and Graham, offering raw insights into trauma, moral choices, and the blurred lines of conflict journalism.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Aiden Aslan’s Life on Death Row
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Mental Health Struggles:
- Aiden recounts the unbearable psychological strain:
"By this point my mental health is the worst it's been at since being in captivity. I'd managed to find a razor blade... and I remember I used to lay down on my bed at nighttime just thinking of just..."
— Aiden Aslan, 02:13
- Aiden recounts the unbearable psychological strain:
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Daily Brutality and Dehumanization:
- Forced propaganda videos, frequent beatings, and watching a fellow Ukrainian POW be beaten to death.
"I witnessed them beat a Ukrainian POW to death in the neighboring cell next to me."
— Aiden Aslan, 05:28
- Forced propaganda videos, frequent beatings, and watching a fellow Ukrainian POW be beaten to death.
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Small Mercies:
- Reuniting with Prebeg, another former comrade, offered a rare moment of mental relief amid torment:
"I would say it definitely helped me a lot mentally because I was able to speak English again. We were using our dark humor to try and just pass the time."
— Aiden Aslan, 07:07
- Reuniting with Prebeg, another former comrade, offered a rare moment of mental relief amid torment:
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Prisoner Routine & Surreal Degradation:
- Captives forced to mimic train noises as a humiliating ritual:
"They had to make this sound. Chu, chu, chu, chu, chu. And they would go, come on, let us hear the whistle..."
— Paul Kenyon (narrating Aiden’s experience), 07:26
- Captives forced to mimic train noises as a humiliating ritual:
2. The Political Weaponization of Prisoners
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Pressure on Families:
- Aiden’s captors forced him to call his family, pressuring his mother to lobby officials:
"He would be screaming at me down the phone that I needed to speak to Boris Johnson to get the DPR noticed."
— Angela Aslan, summarized by Paul Kenyon, 08:25
- Aiden’s captors forced him to call his family, pressuring his mother to lobby officials:
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International Advocacy:
- MP Robert Jenrick raises Aiden’s case in UK Parliament, spurring debate over Geneva Convention breaches and increasing international pressure for his release.
"This is a flagrant breach of the Geneva Convention. And that the interviewer, Graham Phillips, is in danger of prosecution for war crimes."
— Robert Jenrick, 09:14
- MP Robert Jenrick raises Aiden’s case in UK Parliament, spurring debate over Geneva Convention breaches and increasing international pressure for his release.
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Propaganda and Fallout:
- After Aiden’s family protests, Graham Phillips has his YouTube account terminated for spreading Russian propaganda, losing his audience and income.
3. The Unexpected Release: Prisoner Exchange
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Sudden Change in Routine:
- In September 2022, Aiden is unexpectedly moved and loaded into a truck, unsure whether this meant torture, transfer, or execution.
"There was a lot of stuff that was going on that was out of, like, a normal routine... I really, honestly was like, in complete dread of, like, fear."
— Aiden Aslan, 02:45
- In September 2022, Aiden is unexpectedly moved and loaded into a truck, unsure whether this meant torture, transfer, or execution.
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Flight to Freedom:
- Disoriented, the prisoners realize they're at an airport and, with the appearance of Saudi officials, are part of a major prisoner swap.
"I immediately knew it was either going to be Qatari or Saudis, but I just wasn't sure what their role was and why they were here."
— Aiden Aslan, 13:53
- Disoriented, the prisoners realize they're at an airport and, with the appearance of Saudi officials, are part of a major prisoner swap.
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Unexpected Broker:
- On the plane, Aiden discovers Roman Abramovich helped broker the deal:
"You don't half look like Roman Abramovich. And he said, I am Roman Abramovich."
— Aiden Aslan, 16:43
- On the plane, Aiden discovers Roman Abramovich helped broker the deal:
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The Deal:
- Over 200 Ukrainians were traded for 55 Russians, including high-profile oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk.
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Bittersweet Homecoming:
- Aiden’s emotional reunion with family at Heathrow:
"I actually did think at one point, the next time I see Aiden, he's going to be in a coffin."
— Angela Aslan, 18:39 - Aiden’s first words to his mother:
"Those bastards, they beat me and made me do all that bullshit."
— Aiden Aslan, 18:49
- Aiden’s emotional reunion with family at Heathrow:
4. Life After Captivity: Parallel Destinies
Aiden Aslan:
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Return to Ukraine:
- Despite trauma, Aiden returns to Kyiv, moves on from his fiancée, and reconnects with the military—this time in fundraising and advocacy roles, not combat:
"I initially tried to fly back to Ukraine, like literally less than three weeks after I was in Britain."
— Aiden Aslan, 26:18
- Despite trauma, Aiden returns to Kyiv, moves on from his fiancée, and reconnects with the military—this time in fundraising and advocacy roles, not combat:
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New Mission: Documentation and POW Advocacy:
- Aiden pivots to documentary work, focusing on the treatment of Russian POWs in Ukraine, aiming to set the record straight:
"I then set up out to go to the prisoner war camp in Western Ukraine to go visit Russian POWs..."
— Aiden Aslan, 27:17 - He expresses empathy for POWs rooted in his own experience:
"I know exactly how you're feeling right now. This is exceptionally mentally draining for you. But, like, just try to keep positive because you will go home eventually."
— Aiden Aslan, 29:08
- Aiden pivots to documentary work, focusing on the treatment of Russian POWs in Ukraine, aiming to set the record straight:
Graham Phillips:
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Persona Non Grata:
- Sanctioned by the UK government as a “Russian asset”, assets frozen, and banned from travel:
"He's thought to be the first ever sole British citizen to be sanctioned in such a way."
— Paul Kenyon, 25:16
- Sanctioned by the UK government as a “Russian asset”, assets frozen, and banned from travel:
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Defiance and Isolation:
- Continues pro-Russian journalism in Donbas, living in squalor and reliant on the Russian state for protection.
- Notable quote:
"If you enter a war zone as a mercenary... what on earth have you got to moan about? Where did he think he was going? Centre Parks."
— Graham Phillips’s statement, 24:35
- Notable quote:
- Continues pro-Russian journalism in Donbas, living in squalor and reliant on the Russian state for protection.
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Bleak Condition:
- Les Scott, Graham's old friend, reflects on Graham’s destitution:
"I mean, the guy is living in a bombed out apartment in Mariupol with no water. He has to collect water every day."
— Paul Kenyon (quoting Les Scott), 25:28
- Les Scott, Graham's old friend, reflects on Graham’s destitution:
5. Reflections on War, Trauma, and Meaning
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Survivor’s Guilt and Changed Perspectives:
- Journalist Nick Sturdy reflects on his own injury and changed outlook:
"It's meant that I haven't been able to go to Ukraine and follow what I think is important... changed my understanding of life... I think a lot more these days about the temporary nature of life and our mortality."
— Nick Sturdy, 19:46
- Journalist Nick Sturdy reflects on his own injury and changed outlook:
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Full Circle:
- Aiden and Shaun now document POW conditions, echoing the very propaganda and abuse they suffered—serving a new, more transparent moral mission.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | 02:13 | "By this point my mental health is the worst it's been at since being in captivity." | Aiden Aslan | | 05:28 | "I witnessed them beat a Ukrainian POW to death in the neighboring cell next to me." | Aiden Aslan | | 07:07 | "We were using our dark humor to try and just pass the time." | Aiden Aslan | | 09:14 | "This is a flagrant breach of the Geneva Convention. And that the interviewer, Graham Phillips, is in danger of prosecution for war crimes." | Robert Jenrick (in Parliament) | | 13:53 | "I immediately knew it was either going to be Qatari or Saudis, but I just wasn't sure what their role was and why they were here." | Aiden Aslan | | 16:43 | "You don't half look like Roman Abramovich. And he said, I am Roman Abramovich." | Aiden Aslan | | 18:49 | "Those bastards, they beat me and made me do all that bullshit." | Aiden Aslan | | 24:35 | "If you enter a war zone as a mercenary... what on earth have you got to moan about? Where did he think he was going? Centre Parks." | Graham Phillips | | 25:28 | "I mean, the guy is living in a bombed out apartment in Mariupol with no water. He has to collect water every day." | Paul Kenyon (quoting Les Scott) | | 29:08 | "I know exactly how you're feeling right now. This is exceptionally mentally draining for you. But, like, just try to keep positive because you will go home eventually." | Aiden Aslan |
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:00-02:13 — Aiden's dire mental state and death row routine
- 05:28 — Witnessing POW murder in captivity
- 07:07 — Reunion with Prebeg and coping through humor
- 08:25-09:14 — Family pressure, parliamentary intervention
- 10:22-11:54 — Graham Phillips’s propaganda work, subsequent deplatforming
- 13:09-14:02 — Mysterious transfer to Russian airport, appearance of Saudi go-betweens
- 16:43 — Encounter with Roman Abramovich on prisoner swap plane
- 18:39-18:57 — Emotional family reunion at Heathrow
- 19:46 — Nick Sturdy's reflection on trauma and meaning
- 25:16-25:47 — Graham Phillips’s sanctioning, life in Donbas
- 26:18-27:17 — Aiden's return to Ukraine, new mission
- 27:58-29:08 — Empathy for POWs, shift to documenting war ethics
Tone and Language
The episode is haunting yet unsensational, with first-person accounts balancing brutality and black humor. Paul Kenyon and Aiden Aslan’s voices alternate between heavy emotional candor and measured, journalistic clarity. The show retains the dignity of survivors while not shying away from the moral ambiguities and lifelong wounds left by war.
Conclusion
"Last Days in the Donbas" vividly closes the "Two Nottingham Lads" narrative. Through unflinching testimony and intimate journalistic investigation, it confronts the listener with the human cost of conflict, the shifting lines of loyalty and ideology, and the ongoing search for justice and truth in war’s aftermath. Aiden and Graham remain emblematic of divergent but equally complicated fates—haunted by what they’ve seen, each seeking meaning on his own, uncertain path.