Brit fighters Aiden Aslin & Shaun Pinner ‘plead guilty’ in sham court as they face 20 years in prison & DEATH PENALTY

In addition, Pinner faces a longer-term and even the death penalty as has also pleaded guilty to "seizing power by force".

According to a local law enforcement official, they face the death penalty if convicted of “combat operations” in “wartime” against the pro-Putin region.

Pinner has pleaded not guilty to "participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict or hostilities".

Aslin, 28, from Nottinghamshire and Pinner, 48, from Bedfordshire are being held in the breakaway region in the east of Ukraine.

Both men - who have lived in the country since 2018 - say they were serving with regular military units in Mariupol and so should be protected as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention.

They were seen in a metal cage in court on a video from the messaging app Telegram alongside Saaudun Brahim from Morocco.

In the video, Aslin, who appeared to have lost a lot of weight, replied "Yes, I do," in Russian when asked by the judge if he understood the charges against him.

Pinner, who also appeared haggard and thin, replied "yes" to the same question.

The two Brits were asked if they objected to the trial proceeding without the witnesses giving evidence in person in the sham trial held in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

The court heard that three of the five absent “witnesses” are themselves, detainees.

A third Brit, Andrew Hill, also faces charges after being captured in the Mykolaiv area, although his affiliation is unclear.

The trial was held at the region's supreme court.

Denis Pushilin, president of the Donetsk People's Republic, had accused the men of "monstrous" crimes, including trying to seize power and crimes against groups of people.

The Foreign Office condemned the exploitation of prisoners of war for political purposes in the wake of the footage and said it was working with the Ukrainian government on the issue of British captives.

Hours earlier Tory former minister Robert Jenrick said Mr Aslin should be returned home at the earliest opportunity, possibly through a prisoner exchange.

The MP condemned the "trumped-up charges" faced by both Britons and accused Russia of a "completely outrageous breach of international law".

Mr Jenrick told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme: "This is a British citizen, but who also holds Ukrainian nationality, is married to a Ukrainian, joined the Ukrainian armed forces in the normal way prior to (Vladimir) Putin's illegal invasion, and has been serving in the armed forces.

"He was taken prisoner by Russian forces and in accordance with international law and the Geneva Convention, he should be being held appropriately and returned to Ukraine at the earliest possible opportunity, possibly through a prisoner exchange.

"Instead of that Putin's regime have chosen to put him and another British national, Shaun Pinner, on trial on trumped up charges, no evidence whatsoever. This is, I'm afraid, a completely outrageous breach of international law and it should be condemned."

He added: "What I hope happens is that a prisoner exchange occurs in the near future. The Russian authorities have chosen to make an example out of these two British nationals and it is, I think, completely shameful."

PARADED ON STATE MEDIA

Both men were captured when their battalions were forced to surrender to Russian forces in Mariupol.

Former care worker Aslin was cruelly paraded on Russian TV after he was captured back in April.

He was forced to surrender after his unit ran out of food and ammunition in the besieged city of Mariupol.

The 28-year-old was pictured handcuffed, battered and bruised by Russian state media.

Aslin's family repeatedly denied Russian claims he is a spy and called on the Foreign Office to take action.

His mum begged the British Government to "get him out" after seeing the sickening photos of her son.

Pinner was also paraded by Russian forces after he was taken prisoner in Ukraine.

The two men have lived in Ukraine for some time and are fully-paid members of its military.

Aiden joined the Marines in 2018 while Shaun moved to Mariupol four years ago to be with his second wife Larysa when he joined the Ukrainian Army as a "contract soldier".

Aiden was serving with the 39th Brigade Ukrainian Marines and had previously fought ISIS in Syria while Pinner previously served in the Royal Anglian Regiment.

It comes as over 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered in Mariupol have been transferred to Russia for investigation, Russia's state-owned Tass news agency reported, citing a Russian law enforcement source.

Meanwhile, the fighting continues as earlier today Ukrainian forces pulled back to the outskirts of the strategic city of Sievierodonetsk.

The region is now "largely" under Russian control after fierce fighting, while its twin city of Lysychansk is suffering enormous destruction, the region's governor Sergei Gaidai said.