They were arrested in Mariupol in April during a fierce battle for control of the port city before appearing in court in the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). It is understood that they have admitted “training to carry out terrorist activities”. A third man, Moroccan national Saaudun Brahim, has also been sentenced to death. The punishments were imposed by the Supreme Court of the GDR, RIA reported. The men were found guilty of “wage-making activities and committing acts aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the GDR,” the Interfax news agency quoted a court official as saying. What did they do in Ukraine? Aiden Aslin has a Ukrainian fiancée, applied for citizenship and joined the country’s Marines in 2018. Shaun Pinner has lived there since 2018, is married to a Ukrainian and was on his fourth tour of the Ukrainian army. So they were regular soldiers? Yes. But Russia says they were mercenaries. It distinguishes between them and other Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) simply because of their place of birth. Is it legal under international law? No. According to the Geneva Convention, prisoners of war must be given certain protection. The British government says it has “the right to fight immunity and must be prosecuted for involvement in hostilities”. Read more: War in Ukraine: Two British fighters sentenced to death in separatist region, say Russian state media. Live Ukrainian news: UK ‘deeply concerned’ over death sentences for Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner How is the war in Ukraine affecting the economy and the cost of living? So what will the UK do about it? Downing Street said in a statement that it would “continue to work with the Ukrainian authorities to secure the release of any British nationals serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” The Ukrainian authorities apparently do not have control over the Russian-held prisoners, but are negotiating with them for possible prisoner exchanges. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:18 Aiden Aslin reacts to the death penalty So could these two Britons be replaced by Russians? Possible. They appeared on Russian state television calling for an exchange with pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvetsuk, who was arrested in April. At the same time, Medvedchuk appeared in a video posted by Ukrainians asking for the same. So could today’s condemnation be part of these negotiations? It’s possible. Medvedchuk is a close ally and friend of Vladimir Putin. But Russia also points to Ukraine’s war crimes trials. Once Kyiv began prosecuting detainees, it was only a matter of time before Russia did the same. How likely are they to be executed? They were told they had a week to appeal. If that fails and they are not exchanged for prisoners, Russia warns that it may face a firing squad. Did not Liz Truss encourage the British to go to war in Ukraine? He said he would fully support the people who will fight there. Although we have to say that these two men started fighting there long before that.