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Britons held by rebels in Ukraine to stand trial in Russian proxy court
Three British men accused of being mercenaries are to stand trial in a Russian proxy court in eastern Ukraine, the BBC reported.
John Harding, Dylan Healy, and Andrew Hill will be tried in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic, a breakaway region of Ukraine, Russian media said.
The court, which is not internationally recognised, sentenced two British men to death recently.
The UK Foreign Office said it condemned the exploitation of civilian detainees for political purposes.
Ex-serviceman Mr Harding, originally from Sunderland, had been fighting alongside Ukrainian forces since moving to the country in 2018. In July he appeared in a video appealing to Prime Minister Boris Johnson for help.
Mr Hill has been fighting with Ukraine's International Legion.
Mr Healy had been volunteering in Ukraine as an aid worker when he was captured at a checkpoint in April, alongside Paul Urey who died in July while being held by Russian-backed separatists.
Russia's state news agency Tass reported that the three British men had refused to co-operate with investigators and testify.
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They are being tried alongside two other men from Sweden and Croatia.
The same court in June sentenced Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin to death. The Britons were captured while fighting for Ukraine were accused of being mercenaries.
The UK and Ukraine have condemned the sentences for violating international laws protecting prisoners of war.
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After this latest development, the Foreign Office said it was in constant contact with Ukraine to support its efforts to get all the Britons released.
It added: "We condemn the exploitation of prisoners of war and civilian detainees for political purposes and have raised this with Russia."
Source: BBC
