British Mercenary Sentenced to Death in Donetsk Issues Warning

The Western Media presents the trial of the mercenaries in Ukraine as being invalid, Kangaroo Court, no "internationally recognized" jurisdiction, etc.

Such statements are made by the Western Media to inflame readers, and likely have no judicial basis.

These volunteers, mostly from NATO countries, signed contracts with the Ukraine government to fight for money, up to 1,000 British pounds/month, about $1,300/month, if in a fighting unit; a very good wage in Ukraine.

Mercenaries have no POW rights, per Geneva conventions.

These mercenaries fight, alongside regular Ukraine soldiers, as ordered by superior officers, and, in the process, may kill Ukraine civilians and Russians, and destroy property, etc.

Brit Sentenced to Death in Donetsk Issues Warning

Shaun Pinner, a British citizen who fought with the Ukrainian forces, and was sentenced to death on Thursday by a court in Donetsk, has issued a stark warning for all foreigners, who might be considering joining the fight against Russian troops: “Don’t get into a war you don’t really understand.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/556887-mercenary-brit-interview-donetsk/

https://www.rt.com/russia/556897-british-mercenary-ukraine-western-...

Shaun Pinner, his compatriot Aiden Aslin and Moroccan Saadun Ibrahim were found guilty of acting as mercenaries and attempting to seize power by force in the Donetsk People’s Republic, DPR. They were also accused of undergoing training in order to carry out terrorist activities on the territory of the DPR, which was formally recognized by Russia in February.

In an exclusive interview with RT, conducted shortly before the sentence was announced, Pinner called on aspiring mercenaries to accept the fact that they can be put on trial and – in the worst-case scenario – may get a death sentence, and warned them against complaining when it happens.

Pinner revealed that his time in captivity was in many ways an eye-opening experience for him.

“Some people do want to be a part of Russia, and you have to accept that. 

He said, after he saw Donetsk’s “face, this war will be over no matter what happens to him”

He also revealed that he would like to “learn more about the history of both sides”

He said his decision to join the Ukrainian military was prompted by several factors:

1) His Ukrainian wife did not want to move to the UK

2) He could not find a job to support his family.

With nine years of service in the British military, Pinner decided to sign a three-year mercenary contract with the Ukrainian armed forces, which would also provide him with a residency permit in Ukraine. While in Mariupol, he signed up for an an additional year.

Being a “patriot of Ukraine,” the Brit decided it would be a good opportunity for “giving something to Ukraine and, obviously, receiving something back in return”

He revealed that the standard salary of a mercenary contractor at a point of permanent deployment was an amount equivalent to 360 British pounds/month, which could be raised to around £1,000/month (about $1,300/mo) for participating in front-line, combat operations.

According to Pinner, the emphasis of the military training was mainly on “cleaning” and “maintaining military” equipment with not much of actual military training.

There were several foreigners in his unit, the Brit revealed, but three of them deserted in 2021, “just walked away”

The active combat service for Pinner did not start until December 2021, and since February 24, it was “full-on” every day.

Captivity and questioning were “very hard” for Pinner, as were the solitude and the “very confined” conditions.

He said during the questioning he was shown “terrible” photos, allegedly depicting the abuse of Russian prisoners of war by Ukrainian militants.

“I can’t really grumble, I wasn’t shot and I’ve still got all my limbs and my fingers,” the Briton said.

He expressed the hope he and other foreigners, who are being tried as mercenaries, would be exchanged.

When asked what he’d planned to do after his contract with the Ukrainian military terminated, Pinner said he and his family intended to move to England and “to start a new life” there. This may be wishful thinking, because his Ukrainian wife does not want to leave Ukraine!

Pinner and Aslin were captured in Mariupol in April, as Russian and DPR troops cut off a brigade of Ukrainian marines to which they were attached.

The British government has demanded that they be treated as prisoners of war, POWs, under the Geneva Conventions, despite Britain not being formally at war with the the DPR.

However, the DPR has pointed out that the conventions apply only to uniformed soldiers of a national military, not to voluntary, foreign, contract mercenaries

Earlier this month, Russian military spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov, claimed the number of foreign fighters in Ukraine, whom he described as “mercenaries,” had decreased from 6,600 to 3,500.

Konashenkov specified hundreds of foreign mercenaries in Ukraine had been destroyed by Russian long-range precision weapons “shortly after their arrival at the places where they were undergoing additional training, and where the tactical units were coordinated.” 

However, most of the mercenaries were killed, according to the spokesman, “due to the low level of training and the lack of real combat experience.”

Konashenkov claimed, since the beginning of May, “the flow of foreign mercenaries to Ukraine to participate in hostilities against the Russian armed forces has virtually dried up.”