Captured Britons put on Russian TV asking Boris Johnson to help free them

Two British fighters captured in Ukraine by Russian forces have been paraded on Russian state television asking Boris Johnson to help free them, in a dramatic escalation of the propaganda war.

Footage showed Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin calling on the British prime minister to help free them in exchange for Ukraine releasing the pro-Kremlin politician Viktor Medvedchuk.

It was unclear how freely the two men were able to talk in the video, which was aired on the Rossiya 24 state TV channel on Monday.

The footage marks a serious escalation of the propaganda war between Russia and Ukraine and is the first time a prisoner swap has been suggested publicly between the two countries. The central involvement of two British fighters will heap pressure on Johnson to intervene.

Pinner and Aslin, 28, have looked tired and bruised since they were captured while defending the city of Mariupol last week.

Medvedchuk is a key ally of Putin. He had been placed under house arrest last year to face treason and terrorism financing charges, which he denies.

He escaped a few days after the Russian invasion began in February, but was later captured by Ukraine.

Pinner, a former soldier in the Royal Anglian Regiment, moved to Ukraine four years ago and considers it his adopted country, his family said in a statement on Monday.