MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The UK Foreign Office has denounced new charges pressed by the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) against two other British citizens who have been accused of mercenarism while participating in combat operations in Ukraine.
"We condemn the exploitation of prisoners of war and civilians for political purposes and have raised this with Russia… We are in constant contact with the government of Ukraine on their cases and are fully supportive of Ukraine in its efforts to get them released," the statement by the UK Foreign Office was quoted as saying by Sky News.
On Friday, the DPR prosecution initiated criminal proceedings and brought charges of mercenarism against British nationals Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill. The defendants refused to testify and cooperate with the investigation.
People close to the defendants claim that Hill and Healy are not mercenaries, but volunteers who went to Ukraine to fight on Kiev's side. UK non-profit Presidium Network, an organization assisting the families of the defendants, claims that the accusations are "politically motivated" and entirely fabricated by the DPR.
On Wednesday, Moroccan citizen Saadoun Brahim and UK citizens Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin pleaded guilty to attempting to seize power in Donetsk by force and were sentenced to death by the DPR Supreme Court. Aslin also pleaded guilty to receiving training to carry out terrorist activities. The investigation established that the foreign mercenaries had taken part in Ukraine's armed aggression for a fee with a view to stage a coup.
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss condemned the sentencing of Aslin and Pinner as illegitimate and regarded them prisoners of war, to whom the norms of Geneva conventions must be applied.
