Two more captured Brits face possible death penalty in eastern Ukraine

Another two Brits face a possible death penalty in eastern Ukraine after being captured by pro-Russian forces.

According to the Russian news agency TASS, two more Brits have been captured by pro-Russian forces and face a possible death penalty. They were taken prisoner in what is known as the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine, The Metro has reported this evening, Friday, July 1.

DPR is a rogue state that is loyal to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both men have allegedly been charged of being involved in ‘mercenary activities’, and face going on trial. Their capture by the Russians had been reported several weeks ago.

Andrew Hill has been identified as a 35-year-old from Plymouth, a port city in the county of Devon, England. He is believed to be a former British Army soldier who served in the Lancaster regiment.

22-year-old Dylan Healy is said to be from the market town of Huntingdon in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. He is thought to have been in Ukraine helping to evacuate residents, in the form of a civilian volunteer.

Healy is thought to have been picked up in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, at a checkpoint. At the time of his capture, he was said to have been in the company of Paul Urey, another British national, but his name has not been mentioned since in any media reports.

Denis Pushilin, the leader of DPR has already previously gone on record saying that there were no grounds for releasing two other Brits who were captured by Russian forces. 48-year-old Shaun Pinner, and 28-year-old Aiden Aslin are being held in captivity in the same pro-Putin state awaiting their fate, which could be a firing squad.

‘Criminal cases have been initiated and charges were presented for acting as mercenaries, against British citizens Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill, currently in detention in DPR’, reported TASS, citing a ‘law enforcement’ source.

They added: “Investigation operations are underway as the investigators look for evidence of the crimes committed by the British, because they do not want to testify and refuse to cooperate on their criminal cases’.

If found guilty, then by then both men can face the death penalty, although as pointed out by western experts, in a state such as the DPR, no foreigner can ever expect a fair trial.

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