Russia says Donetsk death sentences set example for "soldiers of fortune" in Ukraine

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that the death sentences handed down to foreign fighters in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic would set a "clear example to other soldiers of fortune fighting for Ukraine".

Two Britons and one Moroccan captured fighting with the Ukrainian army were sentenced to death as mercenaries by Russian-backed authorities in the breakaway territory in eastern Ukraine on June 9.

Western officials say the men should be treated as regular soldiers taken prisoner in war, and are thus entitled to protection under the Geneva Conventions. Their relatives say they were all contracted to fight for Ukraine.