Two British citizens and a Moroccan man have been sentenced to death by a court in the separatist-controlled Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine for fighting against Russia in the ongoing war.
The three men fought alongside Ukrainian troops and surrendered to Russian forces weeks ago.
A court in the breakaway region, one of Russia's proxies in eastern Ukraine, found them guilty of taking action toward a violent overthrow of power, an offense punishable by death in the internationally unrecognized rebel-held territory in Ukraine’s Donbass region.
The three were also convicted of mercenary activities and terrorism.
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported Thursday that the three – Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Saaudun Brahim – are set to face a firing squad. They have a month to appeal.
Less than 24 hours before the verdict was handed down, Pinner and Saadoun had pleaded guilty to actions aimed at the violent seizure of power, a video shared from the court by the RIA Novosti news agency showed. Aslin appeared to have pleaded guilty to a lesser charge involving weapons and explosives.
"The evidence presented by the prosecution in this case allowed the court to pass a guilty verdict, not to mention the fact that all the defendants, without exception, pleaded guilty to all charges," judge Alexander Nikulin told reporters at the court.
"When passing the verdict, the court was guided not only by the prescribed norms and rules, but also by the most important, unshakable principle of justice. It was that which made it possible to take this complex and difficult decision to apply an exceptional measure of punishment in the form of the death penalty," he added.
British citizens Aslin and Pinner were captured by the Russian-backed forces in Mariupol in April, during a bitter fight for control of the city.
Moroccan Saadoun surrendered in March while fighting in a small town between Mariupol and the regional capital of Donetsk.
During the proceedings, the three men were held in a cage with black bars, guarded by soldiers with their faces covered and wearing armbands with the pro-war Z-logo, before being asked to stand while the verdict was read to them, a video from the courtroom published by the RIA Novosti news agency showed.
The hasty trial was held largely behind closed doors with information on proceedings handed to select state-owned Russian media agencies.
A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the death sentences should be considered null and void.
"The so-called ‘trial’ of the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the occupied Ukrainian territories is of no significance," Oleh Nikolenko told the Interfax Ukraine agency.
"Such show trials put the interests of propaganda above the law and morality; they undermine the mechanisms for the return of prisoners of war. The Ukrainian government will continue to make every effort to release all the defenders of Ukraine," Nikolenko added.
He stressed that all foreign citizens fighting as part of Ukraine’s armed forces should be considered Ukrainian military personnel, and protected as prisoners of war.
The British government says it is "deeply concerned" that the two British nationals have been sentenced to death.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesperson Jamie Davies said Thursday that under the Geneva Conventions prisoners of war are entitled to combatant immunity and "shouldn’t be exploited for political purposes."
He said: "We will continue to work with Ukrainian authorities to secure the release of any British nationals who were serving in the Ukrainian armed forces and are being held as prisoners of war."
British Foreign Secretary Luz Truss tweeted: "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."
The Donetsk People's Republic is one of two breakaway Russian-backed entities in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine which Russia says it is fighting to "liberate" from Ukrainian forces.
Three days before launching its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russia recognized them as independent states in a move condemned by Ukraine and the West as illegal.