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A U.K. official assured the families of two British citizens sentenced to death by pro-Russian separatists for fighting Russian forces in Ukraine that she would “do whatever is necessary” to secure their release.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told the families of Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, that the British government was “working flat out” to secure their release, as reported by the Belfast Telegraph.
“I will do whatever is necessary to secure their release,” Truss told BBC radio. “I’ve assured the families I will do what is most effective to secure their release, and I’m not going to go into our strategy live on air.”
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The two men, who were living in Ukraine at the time of Russia’s invasion, and a Moroccan, Saaudun Brahim, were sentenced to death by a Russian proxy court in Donetsk People’s Republic, a breakaway region in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists. Both British men were fighting with Ukraine’s military prior to surrendering to Russian forces.
Truss held talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Friday to discuss efforts to secure the two men’s release, citing that the court ruling constituted a breach of the Geneva Convention, which establishes international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war.
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All three men were charged with being mercenaries, violently seizing power, and undergoing training to carry out terrorist activities, according to BBC. The families of the men have denied that they were mercenaries, arguing that they should be treated as prisoners of war.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been “following the case closely” and has asked ministers to do “everything in their power to try and reunite them with their families,” a spokesperson told BBC.
