Two Britons and a Moroccan who were captured while fighting for Ukraine were sentenced to death on Thursday by a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), one of Russia's proxies in eastern Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported.

The court found the three men — Britons Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner and Moroccan Brahim Saadoun — guilty of "mercenary activities and committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the DPR," the Interfax news agency quoted a court official as saying.

The three men were captured while fighting for Ukraine against Russia and Russian-backed forces after Russia invaded on Feb. 24. Their lawyer said they would appeal against the decision.