To Russia and the Separatist allies, they are just mercenaries and are not treated as prisoners of war. Two Britons and a Moroccan could therefore "in the best case" be sentenced to a long prison term in a trial in the Donetsk People's Republic.
According to their own statements, the separatists in the Donbass region have started the trial of three foreigners from the ranks of the Ukrainian army. The Supreme Court of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic has brought mercenary charges against two Britons and a Moroccan, Russia's state news agency Ria Novosti reported, citing a video provided by the court. The public prosecutor had previously stated that the death penalty could be imposed on the accused.
The video shows the three men behind bars being questioned by a translator as to whether they had been made aware of the charges and whether they had any objections to the start of the trial. The defendants therefore gave their consent to the start of negotiations. According to the BBC, one of the accused is British Shaun Pinner. The 48-year-old fought in Mariupol after moving to Ukraine four years ago, the Guardian wrote. The second accused Briton is Pinner's friend, 28-year-old Aiden Aslin.
Many volunteers from abroad are also fighting on the Ukrainian side. Kyiv itself called them for help. In Moscow, however, these volunteers are referred to as mercenaries. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said they were not considered combatants. The international conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war would not apply to them. Therefore, if they were caught, they would have to face a long prison sentence "in the best case". At the same time, the pro-Russian separatists had repeatedly publicly threatened to have captured foreigners in the ranks of the Ukrainian army executed.
