Briton freed from Russian captivity in Ukraine ‘welcomed by Roman Abramovich on jet’

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Mr Harding said the UK-sanctioned billionaire businessman Abramovich had played a “key part” in their release and described him as a “lovely guy” and a “legend” in an interview with The Sun. Mr Harding said Mr Pinner told the businessman during the flight that he really looked like Roman Abramovich and he replied saying, “That’s because I am him, sir”. “He couldn’t believe it.” open image in gallery British national John Harding, who was captured by pro-Russian forces while allegedly fighting for Ukrainian troops during Ukraine-Russia conflict, sits inside a defendants’ cage during a court hearing in Donetsk, Ukraine on 15 August 2022 “Shaun was chatting away to him about football for a long time and I was speaking to his assistant,” Mr Harding continued. open image in gallery John Harding, Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin pictured in plane after their release Mr Abramovich announced he would sell Chelsea on 2 March, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.