blood money
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova is confident that some British decided to win “through blood” when they joined the armed conflict on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (APU).
“Attempts by the British side to deteriorate the situation “on the field” for a long time led some British citizens to have a false feeling that winning “by blood” in Ukraine would not do any good, with consequences for them. Zakharova told socialbites.ca. “This has consequences, as recent events have shown, and to be under such illusions is a dangerous illusion.”
According to him, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly pointed out that the responsibility for the lives of foreigners who decide to participate in illegal armed activities on the territory of Ukraine lies entirely with the governments of these states. At the same time, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that any armed activity against military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces will be immediately stopped and groups of armed foreign mercenaries will be destroyed.
In this regard, we call on London once again to radically reconsider its attitude towards what is happening in Ukraine, to refuse military support to the Kyiv neo-Nazi regime and to take effective measures to prevent the participation of its citizens in the events in Ukraine.
The representative of the Foreign Ministry also noted that the British diplomatic mission in Moscow regularly appeals to the Russian department to clarify the fate of the British mercenaries.
“We always make it clear to our interlocutors that such cases are a direct result of London’s irresponsible policy aimed at escalating the situation in Ukraine,” said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“As for specific captured British nationals, we recommend that London send the relevant requests to the competent authorities of the DPR and LPR. This, of course, also applies to Moroccan mercenaries, ”Added Zakharova, commenting on the doomed fate of British mercenaries Sean Pinner and Aiden Aslin.
The Minister also noted that, at the suggestion of Western countries, some states turned a blind eye to the fact that Ukrainian diplomatic missions recruited mercenaries to participate in hostilities on Ukrainian soil.
“I repeat, this violates not only international norms, including the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1989 International Convention for the Suppression of the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries, but also the domestic laws of the countries concerned,” he said. Said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
negotiable
Previously, British mercenaries wanted to be exchanged with Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, but London did not actively participate in barter negotiations. Now that the decision has passed, the discussion of the possibility of a swap has come to the fore.
First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Relations Dmitry Novikov, in a meeting with socialbites.ca, expressed his confidence that the mercenaries convicted in Donetsk will not be used much in the negotiation process.
“I do not accept that these characters, who come with weapons in their hands to seek adventure in Ukraine, can be used in the negotiation process.
Another thing is that such solutions [смертный приговор] it is always a process. The first degree decision has now been made. However, the legal system provides the opportunity to appeal the decision. It looks like they have lawyers who will offer to appeal to higher authorities so that a severe sentence can be replaced by a less severe measure,” he said.
The MP also agreed that foreigners can be pardoned by the head of state where they are brought before the court.
“The system stipulates that the sentence be commuted by the decision of the highest person in the state. Heads of state have a specific power to allow the sentence to be changed. In this case, these people can hope for a more positive turn in their lives,” Novikov said.
According to the DPR constitution, the convict really has the right to petition for amnesty, which was accepted by the head of the republic, namely Denis Pushilin.
Through amnesty, the death penalty can be replaced by life imprisonment or 25 years in prison.
Crimean senator Sergei Tsekov was also skeptical of the idea of exchanging mercenaries sentenced to death, in a conversation with socialbites.ca.
“They cannot be exchanged. We have a large exchange fund, which is tens of times greater than the number of Russian prisoners. If the fate of foreign citizens worries their government, let them apply to the DNR. Why do they think Russia should intervene in this process? Why should we interfere in the process of foreign citizens? If these were our people, of course we would intervene, ”said Tsekov.
Under DPR laws, convicts can be shot. You can appeal the decision within one month.
No returns from Donbass
DPR officials treat convicts as follows: »terrorists“. The term “Nazi criminals” is often found on social networks. The decision came at a time when Donetsk has been under the heaviest bombardment in recent months. Not many people are ready to show sympathy for the prisoners.
Deputy of the DPR People’s Council Elena Shishkina commented on the decision from Mariupol to socialbites.ca. According to him, the lawyers of the convicts have already filed an appeal – the decision will be appealed.
“As a lawyer, as chairman of the criminal law committee of the DPR People’s Council, I cannot imagine what legal grounds their appeals might be based on. What can be used as an argument for sentence revision? This is a particularly serious crime. All the arguments have already been presented,” said Shishkina.
The deputy also reminded that the defendants “turned gray before our eyes” when the verdict was announced.
“They were sure that if they committed war crimes, they would go unpunished. As a Donbass resident, I see no reason to mitigate the sentence.
maybe this [смертная казнь] scary sounds for residents of other states. But we see these war crimes every day here in the DPR. My windows exploded for the third time yesterday. There are dead in every family. I see no reason to reduce the penalty. Nazism must be condemned loudly and openly. It is necessary to be vaccinated against him, ”Shishkina shared her thoughts.
The MP is sure that the UK will not directly appeal to the DPR on the fate of the convicts, because it means the recognition of the republic. According to him, the most realistic scenario is the creation of a working group with the participation of the United States.
Andrei Bedilo, adviser to the chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the people’s movement “Donetsk Republic”, in a conversation with socialbites.ca admitted that he wanted to appeal the issue to a jury, since people are too sensitive. any progress in the situation of the mercenaries.
“The enemy should fear revenge. “There must be a picture in front of the enemy’s face that he will be punished before he pulls the trigger,” he said.
“My son recently graduated from a military school and went to the front. Of those who left – six “two hundredths” – junior lieutenants. How do you think people will feel about the fascists killing our children? We do not have a cruel sense of evil, but a high sense of justice. They should be punished for coming to kill us. I am a deep believer. I understand: “You shall not kill.” But even in the scriptures they were stoned to death. The state has the right to take responsibility so that from now on it will disrespect those who want to revive the Nazi disgust,” he said.
word for people
MGIMO professor Oleg Barabanov, program director of the Valdai Club, admitted in a conversation with socialbites.ca that the final fate of foreign mercenaries sentenced to death will be determined by public opinion.
“We need to understand the mood of the community in the DPR, because there are military actions. These mercenaries fought against them: they destroyed their cities, killed people. All this serves as an argument for the public in favor of the most severe punishment. It is clear to the DPR public that the execution of the sentence will be a deterrent to other “mercenaries” who seek to fight them,” Barabanov said.
At the same time, the expert expressed his hope that if the mercenaries sentenced to death are the subject of negotiations, the views of the people in the DPR will also be taken into account.
Deputy Dmitry Novikov spoke from more categorical positions.
“Any military action is a difficult thing. These people are here to kill. War doesn’t look any different. It is Russia that always clarifies the subtleties of the SVO, including the legal nuances. But on the other hand, people came to fight.
If you don’t kill, the enemy will. Such is the logic of war.
People have committed serious crimes. He claimed to have taken the lives of many other people. Often the victims of their actions were the civilian population, not their armed opponents. There is no point in talking about the seriousness of the sentence, ”Novikov said.