Russia-Ukraine conflict: Portsmouth MP Penny Mordaunt attacks Vladimir Putin's 'inhumanity' after two Britons condemned to death in Donetsk for fighting Russian forces

Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, face the death penalty after being convicted of taking action towards violent seizure of power, at a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

Russia has declared them as ‘mercenaries’, but Britain argues they joined the Ukrainian army legitimately, so should be treated as prisoners of war.

Ms Mordaunt attacked the decision in a statement on Twitter.

She said: ‘This court is not internationally recognised.

‘These sentences given today do not adhere to the Geneva Conventions for prisoners of war.

‘This is further inhumanity from Putin.’

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss discussed efforts to secure the release both Mr Aslin, from Newark, Nottinghamshire, and Mr Pinner, from Bedfordshire, with Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba.

Boris Johnson has ordered ministers to do ‘everything in their power’ to get them released.

A No 10 spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister was appalled at the sentencing of these men.

‘He has been following the case closely and has asked ministers to do everything in their power to try and reunite them with their families as soon as we can.

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‘We completely condemn the sham sentencing of these men to death.

‘There’s no justification at all for this breach of the protection they’re entitled to.’

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov defended the convictions, which took place in a breakaway state controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

He told a press conference: ‘Because these crimes were committed on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic, all the rest is speculation.’