The soldiers had been in the country since 2018 and asserted they were officially working with Ukraine’s military; therefore, they should be eligible for prisoner of war protections.
Two British men suspected of being mercenaries and kidnapped by Russian soldiers have appeared in court on accusations that carry a potential death sentence.
Aiden Aslin from Newark, Nottinghamshire, was seen in a Telegram video alongside Shaun Pinner and Saaudun Brahim from Morocco.
They are being held in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, an eastern Ukrainian breakaway entity.
The soldiers claim they were serving with regular military forces in Mariupol and are therefore entitled to protection under the Geneva Convention as prisoners of war.
Andrew Hill, a third British national, faces charges after being detained in the Mykolaiv region. His affiliation is ambiguous.
Denis Pushilin, the president of the Donetsk People’s Republic, has accused the men of “monstrous” crimes, such as attempting to seize power and committing crimes against groups of people.
He stated that the trial would begin in the region’s highest court.
Tuesday, Mr. Aslin’s family stated that it was a “particularly delicate and emotional period” and that they were working with the Ukrainian government and the British Foreign Office to secure the release of the 28-year-old.
“Aiden is a beloved man who is sorely missed, and we hope he will be released as soon as possible,” they stated in a statement.
The former caregiver joined the Ukrainian military as a marine in 2018, has applied for Ukrainian citizenship, and is engaged to a Ukrainian.
Mr. Pinner was taken on camera in April claiming that he was captured while protecting his chosen city of Mariupol.
His family emphasized at the time that he was an official member of the Ukrainian army and neither a volunteer nor a mercenary.
A few months prior, the 48-year-old soldier told that he was on his fourth tour of duty in Ukraine after nine years of service in the British Army.
He has been a resident of the country since 2018 and is married to a Ukrainian.
Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab stated that the British government expected “representation of the laws of armed conflict” and that the Foreign Office would make “all representations.”
Russia’s current war objective is to seize the Luhansk and Donetsk-dominated eastern Donbas region.
Separatists unilaterally established two breakaway republics there in 2014, but Ukraine does not recognize them.
