Two Britons captured by Russian forces while fighting alongside Ukrainian soldiers face up to 20 years in prison, according to a video shared by Russian state media.
Aiden Aslin and Sean Piner, who served in the Ukrainian army, were detained in April during fighting in Mariupol.
The British appeared in court in the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). Aslin, 28, and Piner, 48, are said to have admitted to “training to carry out terrorist activities.”
Footage shared by RIA Novosti, Russia’s state news agency, said on social media on Wednesday that a translator was asking Aslin from Newark, Nottinghamshire, if he would “plead guilty” to a crime to which he replied: “Yes. ”
The charge is for a term of 15 to 20 years of imprisonment with restriction of liberty for a term of one to two years or life imprisonment, RIA Novosti reported.
The video appears to show the two Britons on trial in pro-Russian Supreme Court along with a third man reportedly Saudun Brahim, a Moroccan national who was also arrested.
Watford and Bedfordshire Piner is also said to face a longer term and possibly the death penalty after claiming to have admitted to “seizing power by force”.
The men are believed to be the first Ukrainian soldiers to be tried by pro-Russian forces.
This comes hours after Conservative MP Robert Jenrick said Aslin should be returned to Ukraine as soon as possible, possibly through an exchange of prisoners, and condemned the “fictitious accusations” facing the two Britons.
The former housing secretary and MP from Newark said on BBC Radio 4’s World At One: “This is a British citizen who also has Ukrainian citizenship, is married to a Ukrainian woman, has joined the Ukrainian armed forces in the normal way before [Vladimir] Putin’s illegal invasion and he served in the armed forces.
“He was captured by Russian forces and, in accordance with international law and the Geneva Convention, he must be detained in an appropriate manner and returned to Ukraine as soon as possible, probably through an exchange of prisoners.
“Instead, the Putin regime chose to bring him and another British citizen, Sean Pinner, to court on trumped-up charges without any evidence.
“I fear that this is a completely scandalous violation of international law and should be condemned.”
On Monday, Justice Minister Dominique Raab said the foreign ministry would “make all representations” on Aslin’s behalf, and his family also issued a statement calling for his release. The statement said: “We are currently working with the Ukrainian government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to try to bring Aidan home. Aiden is a very loved one and he is very much missed and we hope that he will be released very soon.
Ukraine has sentenced three Russian soldiers to prison for war crimes related to Russia’s February 24 offensive.
Vadim Shishimarin, 21, was sentenced to life in prison for killing a 62-year-old civilian in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region at the start of the war.
Two soldiers, Alexander Bobikin and Alexander Ivanov, were sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for shelling settlements that “violated the laws and customs of war.”
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