Trial of Foreign Citizens who Fought for Ukraine Scheduled for August 15 in DPR

On August 15, the Supreme Court of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) will consider the criminal case of five foreign citizens who fought for Ukraine and have been held prisoner in the region.

As reported by a source from the court, the defendants include Swedish citizen Mathias GustavssonJohn Ha, Croatian citizen Vekoslav Prebeg, and Britons John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill.

The trial, according to the source, will take place out of public view.

If the defendants are found guilty then they risk the death penalty, for which there is no moratorium period according to the laws of the self-proclaimed republic,

On August 5, the Swedish Foreign Ministry confirmed the detention of Gustavsson. The Croatian Foreign Ministry also stated that it had information about the upcoming trial of Prebeg, emphasizing that it “rejects the accusations and does not consider them justified and legal, since they contradict international law and international conventions on actions with captured civilians and prisoners of war.”

Harding is a paramedic of the Azov Regiment; Healy is reported to have fought in
Mariupol; while Hill, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, surrendered in the Mykolaiv region.

In June, two British citizens Sean Pinner and Aiden Eslin, as well as Moroccan citizen Brahim Saadoun, were sentenced to death in the self-proclaimed DPR. They were accused of being mercenaries for fighting on the side of Ukraine.

Russia Striking Ukraine Railways to 'Paralyse' Army Cargo: Ukraine Source

The uptick in deadly attacks is intended to destroy train facilities and "paralyse deliveries and movement of military cargo" ahead of a planned Russian offensive, the source said.

Human rights activists and other prominent figures with a connection to the trials have called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to propose to the head of the self-proclaimed DPR to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty.

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Ugo Poletti

Ugo Poletti Ugo Poletti is the Editor-in-Chief of “The Odessa Journal”, online newspaper that was launched during the Covid-19 quarantine to provide news about art, culture, history, business and social life in the maritime capital of Ukraine. He is an Italian entrepreneur, co-founder of the “Rotary Club Odessa Internationa”l, dealing with charity initiatives. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he wrote a book for the Italian readers: “Nel cuore di Odessa”, that was published in Italy, on June 2022.