Relatives of two Britons sentenced to death by a court backed by Russia after fighting in Ukraine have described their devastation at the news.
Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, have been charged with mercenary.
They were captured in Mariupol in April during the intense struggle for control of the port city, before appearing in the courts of the separatist People’s Republic of Donetsk (DPR).
There, according to the Russian news agency Interfax, they were found guilty of “mercenary activities and committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the DPR.”
A statement from Mr Aslin’s family said the couple were not mercenaries and needed time to “take it all away”.
He continued: “We love Aiden wholeheartedly. He and Shaun, as members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, should be treated with respect like any other prisoner of war.
“They are not, nor have they ever been, mercenaries.”
They said they were waiting for the verdict to be overturned and called on the British and Ukrainian governments to “do everything in their power to get them back to us safely and quickly”.
He added: “We can only imagine what they are going through right now. This is a very annoying development.”
Mr Aslin’s brother also reacted with surprise to the news and said his family needed time to understand the situation.
He said: “We just found out, my mother is currently in talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Image: Aidan’s family says they love him “with all our heart”
In January, Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay met with Mr. Pinner and Mr. Aslin in the trenches on the first line of Mariupol.
Pinner explained that she had married a Ukrainian and said: “I have every right to be here … it has been very difficult for me to integrate here, so the boys know that a war addict.
“I’m with an organized unit, I’m with the government and I’m a hired soldier, so I’ve tried to get away from this volunteer unit and the militia …”
Image: The couple in Mariupol
Read more: The British fighting in the trenches of Ukraine
The Russian military has argued that what it considers foreign mercenaries fighting for Ukraine are not combatants.
A long prison sentence is the best thing they should expect if they are caught, Moscow said.
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They are likely to face a firing squad if the sentence is complied with. They will be attractive.
Another British fighter captured by pro-Russian forces, Andrew Hill, 35, is on trial.