Two British fighters who were captured by Russian forces in Mariupol are to appeal their death sentence and will also attempt to overturn their convictions.

“If the appeal is dismissed, a request for clemency will be filed as this is an inherent right of the defendants,” Shaun Pinner’s lawyer Yulia Tserkovnikova said.

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Aiden Aslin, 28, and Pinner, 48, along with Moroccan Brahim Saadoun were convicted of “mercenary activities and committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order,” in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), earlier this month.

Aslin was told by the DPR that “nobody from the UK has made contact” with them, meaning the UK government and “time is running out” before he is “executed.”

The leader of Vladimir Putin’s backed separatist DPR has said he will refuse to pardon the two captured British fighters and said “they should be sentenced to capital punishment,” and he will not grant clemency.

In footage shown on Zvezda channel, controlled by Putin’s defence ministry, Pushilin said, “As for possible exchanges, pardons and other things, at this moment I do have the right to pardon these people in accordance with our legislation.

“But I do not see any preconditions for me to move in this direction.”

He said, “With the mercenaries, two British, one Moroccan – there was a court hearing, a direct court hearing, they were given lawyers….

“Their crimes can be classified as grave and especially grave crimes.

“It was easy enough to predict…that they should be sentenced to capital punishment.

“My personal opinion is that this is just punishment for those people who came to kill civilians for money from other countries.”