Two Britons and a Moroccan man have been sentenced to death by pro-Russian separatists for fighting with the Ukrainian army in what Foreign Minister Liz True called a “false crisis”. Aiden Aslin, 28, of Nottinghamshire, Shaun Pinner, 48, of Bedfordshire and Brahim Saadoun, of Morocco, were arrested earlier in the war. A court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic sentenced him to death on Thursday. Ms Truss said: “I strongly condemn the sentencing of Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine. “They are prisoners of war. This is a sham crisis without any legitimacy at all. My thoughts are with families. “We continue to do everything we can to support them.” The men’s families categorically deny being mercenaries, saying they were fighting for the Ukrainian army and should be protected under international law. Meanwhile, Polish President Andrzej Duda has claimed that talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin were as if he were negotiating with Adolf Hitler. He also criticized the leaders of France and Germany for their telephone conversations with Putin, after French President Emanuel Macron said “we must not humiliate Russia” for future diplomatic reasons.
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About 10,000 civilians trapped in Sievierodonetsk – official
About 10,000 civilians are still trapped in the key city of Donbas Sievierodonetsk, said Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk. This is about one tenth of the pre-war population of the city. To the west of the city, Russian forces are trying to trap Ukrainian fighters in the Donbas area as they push north and south. More than 20 cities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have been bombed. As a result, 49 houses were destroyed or damaged – including production plants, farm buildings and a railway station, Ukrainian military officials said. Two civilians were killed, military officials said. Arpan Rai10 June 2022 05:14 1654833751
Ukrainian and Russian fighters are fighting it street by street
Russian and Ukrainian fighters are engaged in intense fighting on the streets of Sievierodonetsk, where the battle is fought in one lane after another, as Russia aims to occupy the key city in the Donbas. The situation in Sievirodonetsk was “extremely complicated” and Russian fighters have concentrated all their forces in the region, said the Secretary of the Security Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov. “They do not save their people, they just send men as food for cannons … they bomb our army day and night,” Mr Danilov said. Arpan Rai10 June 2022 05:02 1654832283
Russia keeps Sievierodonetsk as its main target, Zelensky says
Volodymyr Zelensky said that the situation on the front line in the region of Ukraine, which is witnessing the largest Russian attack, is without significant changes. “The situation on the front line today is without significant changes. “Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk and other cities in the Donbas, which the occupiers now consider key targets, are holding on,” Zelensky said. He added that the Ukrainian fighters “have a positive view of the Zaporizhia region, where we are able to thwart the plans of the occupiers.” “We are gradually moving towards the Kharkiv region, liberating our land. “We are defending Mykolaiv,” Zelensky said, thanking the country’s fighters for which Ukraine “has already endured 106 days of full-scale war.” Arpan Rai10 June 2022 04:38 1654813886
Ministers call for release of British men sentenced to death in “Soviet-era demonstration trial”
Ministers demanded the release of two Britons sentenced to death today by pro-Russian separatists in what has been condemned as a “Soviet-era demonstration trial”. Moscow has been accused of violating the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, who were arrested while fighting with Ukrainian forces. Deputy Political Writer Rob Merrick has more details: Chiara Giordano 9 June 2022 23:31 1654811641
Volodymyr Zelensky reports ‘positive’ military news in Zaporizhzhia
Volodymyr Zelensky reported “positive” news from the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, where he said Ukrainian forces were managing to stop Russian troops. In a video speech, the Ukrainian president also said that the country’s forces are gradually advancing in the Kharkiv region, east of Kiev, “liberating our land.” Chiara Giordano June 9, 2022 22:54 1654810245
“DPR death sentences a gross violation of the law” – Amnesty
The death sentence of three men in a Moscow-backed court in eastern Ukraine is a “gross violation of international humanitarian law,” Amnesty International said. A court in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) separatist region in eastern Ukraine has accused two Britons – Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner – and Moroccan national Brahim Saadoun of acting as mercenaries for Ukraine during Russian invasion. Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said: “This is a clear violation of international humanitarian law in so many cases. The three were members of the Ukrainian Regular Forces and, according to the Geneva Conventions, as prisoners of war, are protected from persecution for involvement in hostilities. “The only exception is the prosecution of alleged war crimes, in which case there must be sufficient acceptable evidence and the standards of a fair trial must be ensured. Not only is this not the case in this scenario – they were not tried by an independent, impartial tribunal, but by Russian proxies. “The so-called ‘accusations’ against them would not constitute war crimes. And most outrageous of all, taking their lives as a result of blatantly unjust procedures would be an arbitrary deprivation of life. “In fact, the deliberate deprivation of the right to a fair and regular trial by a prisoner of war or other protected person constitutes a war crime. Russia, as an occupying power, has a responsibility to treat all prisoners of war and others deprived of their liberty. “They must ensure that this so-called ‘sentence’ is overturned immediately and that these men are treated in full compliance with international humanitarian law.” Lamiat Sabin9 June 2022 22:30 1654809045
“Up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers are killed every day,” said Zelensky’s aide.
Between 100 and 200 Ukrainian soldiers are killed every day, said Volodymyr Zelenksy, a senior aide. Mykhaylo Podolyak told the BBC that the defenders needed hundreds of more Western artillery systems to correct the “imbalance” between the Russian and Ukrainian armies amid the ongoing conflict in Donbas, in eastern Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s troops are continuing their efforts to take control of Donbass, which is made up of separatist-backed Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Police comb the rubble after a rocket attack in the city of Druzhkivka in Donetsk (Getty Images) “Russian forces have dropped almost everything that is not nuclear on the front, and that includes heavy artillery, multiple missile launchers and aviation,” Mr Podolyak told the BBC. He called for between 150 and 300 Russian-made missile launchers. Mr Podolyak also said Kyiv would not be ready to resume peace talks with Moscow if Russia did not hand over the territories it had gained since launching its offensive on February 24. Lamiat Sabin9 June 2022 22:10 1654807845
The trial of the death penalty “useless” – an official of the Government of Ukraine
The Ukrainian government has described the trial of a British citizen and a Moroccan national – sentenced to death today – as “useless”. A court in the Russian-backed Donetsk separatist region has accused the three men of acting as mercenaries for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion. Aiden Aslin, 28, of Nottinghamshire, Shaun Pinner, 48, of Bedfordshire and Brahim Saadoun, of Morocco, have been detained since their arrest in April. Oleh Nikolenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, told the European Pravda news website: “All foreigners fighting on Ukrainian soil as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) are members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “According to international humanitarian law, they are subject to the legal status of fighters.” He added that all the soldiers of the Armed Forces who are captured by the occupiers enjoy the rights of prisoners of war. In particular, violence, intimidation or inhuman treatment is prohibited. Mr Nikolenko went on to say: “The so-called ‘trial’ of UAF soldiers in the occupied Ukrainian territories is useless. “Such public trials place propaganda above the law and morals, undermine the mechanisms for the return of prisoners of war.” The Ukrainian government will continue its efforts to secure the release of all detainees who fought for Ukraine, he said. Lamiat Sabin9 June 2022 21:50 1654806310
ICYMI: Death sentences imposed on Britons fighting for Ukraine condemned by Troy
Two British soldiers captured by Russian forces while fighting for Ukraine have been sentenced to death by pro-Moscow rebels in what Foreign Secretary Liz True has called a “false crisis”. Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, were convicted of plotting to seize power in a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. Chiara Giordano June 9, 2022 9:25 PM 1654805101
British sentenced to death in “Soviet-era demonstration trial” after fighting over Ukraine
Ministers demanded the release of two Britons sentenced to death by pro-Russian separatists in what has been condemned as a “Soviet-era demonstration trial”. Moscow has been accused of violating the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of 28-year-old Aiden Aslin and 48-year-old Shaun Pinner, who were arrested while fighting with Ukrainian forces. Deputy Political Writer Rob Merrick has the full story: Chiara Giordano June 9, 2022 9:05 PM
