Families of a UK couple imprisoned in Ukraine claim instant assistance.

The families of two British citizens sentenced to death for fighting Russian forces in Ukraine have stated that they require immediate medical and legal assistance.

Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were apprehended while fighting alongside the Ukrainian army and tried as mercenaries by a Russian proxy court.

The sentences, according to both the British government and Ukraine’s top prosecutor, violate the Geneva Convention.

Later, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will meet with her Ukrainian counterpart.

Mr Aslin, 28, of Newark, Nottinghamshire, and Mr Pinner, 48, of Bedfordshire, who were already in Ukraine at the time of the Russian invasion, were apprehended in April while defending the besieged city of Mariupol.

Both have strong ties to Ukraine and have been living there since 2018. Mr. Aslin is married to a Ukrainian and has dual citizenship, whereas Mr. Pinner is married to a Ukrainian.

A Russian proxy court in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, a pro-Russian breakaway region in eastern Ukraine, sentenced them along with a third man, Moroccan national Saaudun Brahim.

According to Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti, all three men were charged with being mercenaries, violently seizing power, and undergoing terrorist training.

According to Russia’s Tass news agency, the men’s lawyer stated that they all intend to appeal the sentence.

While the two men had been living and serving in Ukraine’s armed forces for several years,

The sentencing of the British nationals violated the Geneva Convention “in the most egregious manner by Russia in holding this kangaroo court and now this sentence to death,” according to Robert Jenrick, MP for Newark, where Mr Aslin’s family lives.

Mr Jenrick stated that he wants to see both men returned to their families, “probably through a prisoner exchange.”

However, he added that Russia appears to be “in no hurry to move forward with these prisoner exchanges.”

Mr Pinner’s mother and stepfather, who “clearly are very anxious,” said Richard Fuller, MP for North Bedford.

He stated that Mr Pinner’s mother’s top priority is that her son and Mr Aslin have “access to proper health services and the Red Cross,” as well as independent legal counsel.