Captured Britons sentenced to death by Russia after ‘show trial’ for ‘monstrous’ crimes

Two British volunteers have been sentenced to death by firing squad for fighting in Ukraine after a “sham” trial that found them guilty of “monstrous” crimes.

Aiden Aslin, left, and Shaun Pinner were captured while fighting in the Ukrainian Army. Picture: Twitter

Two British volunteer fighters have been sentenced to death for defending Ukraine after a “sham” trial by a pro-Russian court found them guilty of “monstrous” crimes.

Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, along with a Moroccan fighter Saadoun Brahim, were handed the death penalty by the so-called Supreme Court of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on Thursday.

Pinner and Aslin pleaded guilty to “training in order to carry out terrorist activities” according to a video on Wednesday released by the court, in the unrecognised republic, Russian state media reports.

Aslin, 28, from Nottinghamshire and Pinner, 48, from Bedfordshire are being held in the separatist region of Donetsk, which only Russia recognises as a republic, in the east of Ukraine.

The court sentenced them to death by firing squad.

Aiden Aslin, 28, from Nottinghamshire, will appeal his death sentence. Picture: Twitter

Shaun Pinner, 48, from Bedfordshire is also expected to appeal. Picture: Twitter

Pinner appeared distraught and close to tears as the execution verdict was announced, staring at the ground. Aslin was more composed.

The UK’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss condemned the death sentences as a “sham judgment” while No10 Downing Street said it was “deeply concerned” by the development.

“Under the Geneva Convention, prisoners of war are entitled to combatant immunity,” a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said,

Journalists were not allowed into the swift trial, with the first hearing held Tuesday and the death sentence handed down Thursday. All direct reports of the proceedings from the court came via Russian state media.

Pro-Kremlin journalists published only brief videos from the trial, which have since circulated on social media.

British citizens Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, and Moroccan national Saadoun Brahim, all of whom fought on contract with Ukraine’s military, have been sentenced to death by the Kremlin’s puppet authorities in Donetsk in show trial that lasted mere days. They were not mercenaries. pic.twitter.com/QYGOEkHXHE

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) June 9, 2022

Observers have described the charges as “fabricated” and the trial as a “demonstrative” attempt to imitate the trials of Russian soldiers for war crimes in Kyiv.

All three men have a month to appeal against the death penalty, according to the chairman of the judicial board, Russian state media reported.

Their sentences could possibly be commuted to prison sentence of 25 years to life.

Russia is expected to demand that Britain appeal directly to rebel authorities in Donetsk – which the UK does not recognise.

Both British men said they were serving with regular military units in Mariupol and so should be protected as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention.

Three captured Ukrainian soldiers of foreign origin of whom Aiden Aslin (British), Sean Pinner (British) and Saadun Brahim (Moroccan) have been sentenced to death by the court of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

Reminder that these soldiers surrendered in Mariupol. pic.twitter.com/CIPLWe0Rkd

— CaucasusWarReport (@Caucasuswar) June 9, 2022

They were seen in a metal cage in court on a video from the messaging app Telegram alongside Saaudun Brahim.

A third Briton, Andrew Hill, also faces charges after being captured in the Mykolaiv area, although his affiliation is unclear.

Denis Pushilin, president of the Donetsk People’s Republic, had accused the men of “monstrous” crimes, including trying to seize power and crimes against groups of people.

The court heard that the men were paid mercenaries who took part in “armed aggression” in Ukraine in order to “forcibly seize power in the DPR for a reward”.

The three sentenced men had lived in Ukraine for years prior to the February 24 invasion, and were officially part of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. At the time they were captured, a statement released on behalf of Aslin on Twitter said, “It’s been 48 days, we tried our best to defend Mariupol but we have no choice but to surrender to Russian forces. We have no food and no ammunition. It’s been a pleasure everyone, I hope this war ends soon.”

I utterly condemn the sentencing of Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner held by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine.

They are prisoners of war. This is a sham judgment with absolutely no legitimacy.

My thoughts are with the families. We continue to do everything we can to support them.

— Liz Truss (@trussliz) June 9, 2022

Russian TV anchor invites guests to decide how to kill captured Brits

Earlier on Thursday, a sickening clip taken from Russian state TV sees the hosts gleefully discussing how the men should be executed, The Sun reports.

TV anchor Vladimir Solovyov, known as “Putin’s voice”, hosted the discussion, in which the guests decided whether they should be shot dead, hanged, or quartered.

In the sinister TV debate, Dr Andrei Sidorov, dean of the Faculty of World Politics at Moscow State University, said the Donetsk prosecutor’s office had indicated the three “mercenaries” are “worthy of the death penalty”.

He added: “If the court approves the death penalty if the Anglo-Saxons are put to the wall for the first time, that would have a much more serious impact.”

Solovyov asked bluntly: “When will they be killed by the court decision?”

Sidorov told him: “They will be declared war criminals and sentenced to death …”

Downing Street says the UK government is “deeply concerned” following the announcement of the death sentences.

Robert Jenrick, MP for Newark, released a statement over the sentencing of his constituent’s relative Aiden Aslin.

“This disgusting Soviet-era show trial is the latest reminder of the depravity of Putin’s regime,” he said.

“Contrary to the Kremlin’s propaganda, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner are not mercenaries.

“They have been living in Ukraine and serving in its armed forces long before Russia’s illegal invasion, and as prisoners of war they are entitled to protection under the Geneva Convention.”

He also called for the Russian ambassador to be “summoned to the Foreign Office”, adding: “No one should think they can treat British citizens like this and get away with it.”

The Sun Online has approached the Foreign Office for comment in the wake of today’s death sentence.

The devastated family of Aslin today demanded he is “treated with respect” as it was revealed his mother Ang Wood only found out about the verdict while watching television.

In a statement, the family said: ‘We’ve heard the news from Donetsk and need some time to take everything in.

“We love Aiden with all our hearts. He and Shaun, as members of Ukrainian armed forces, should be treated with respect just like any other prisoners of war. They are not, and never were, mercenaries.

“We hope that this sentence will be overturned and beseech the government’s of the UK and Ukraine to do everything in their power to have them returned to us safely, and soon.

“We can only imagine what they are going through right now. This is a very upsetting development and we ask that our privacy is respected at this time.”

Aslin’s brother also reacted with shock at the verdict.

“We’ve just been informed ourselves, currently my mum is in talks with the Foreign Office, but we are requesting that we have time to process this information privately due to how sensitive it is,” he said.

The UK Government insisted the judgment had no legitimacy and the pair should be treated as prisoners of war.

Yesterday, the Foreign Office condemned the exploitation of prisoners of war for political purposes in the wake of the footage and said it was working with the Ukrainian government on the issue of British captives.

In a statement released through the British Foreign Office on Tuesday, Aslin’s family said it was a “very sensitive and emotional time” and noted they are working with Ukrainian authorities and the Foreign Office to have him returned home.

Russia has not carried out an execution since 1996 and outlawed the death penalty in 1997.

However, because the fighters are being held in separatist Donetsk, it isn’t clear whether their captors will uphold Russian law.

Aslin surrendered to Russian forces in April after running out of food and ammo in the besieged city of Mariupol.

He was paraded on Russian state TV in a humiliating interview, showing injuries to his face.

Aslin moved from Newark in the UK to Ukraine to be with his girlfriend, soon becoming a marine in the country’s armed forces and taking up Ukrainian citizenship.

His unit was defending Mariupol as Russian forces were closing in, and they were cut off from the main Ukrainian army. Aslin was even forced to miss his own wedding due to the fighting.

Pinner worked as an instructor in the ranks of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. He too was taken prisoner in April 2022 alongside other soldiers from the unit of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade in Mariupol.

– With The Sun

Originally published as Captured Britons sentenced to death by Russia after ‘show trial’ for ‘monstrous’ crimes