Foreign mercenaries sentenced to death in Donetsk arrive in Saudi Arabia

Five British prisoners of war released by Russia have arrived in the UK, Reuters reports.

Earlier, the Saudi State Information Agency tweeted a video showing a group of foreign mercenaries, who were captured in Ukraine and sentenced to death by a court in the DPR, getting off the plane at Riyadh airport. The video in particularly shows British citizens Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aislin and Moroccan citizen Saadoun Brahim.

According to Al-Arabiya, the Russian side handed over ten mercenaries in captivity — five Britons, one Moroccan, one Swede, one Croat and two Americans.

The list may also include: Swedish citizen Matias Gustavsson, Croatian citizen Vekoslav Prebig, British citizens John Harding, Andrew Hill and Dylan Healy, as well as US citizens Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman mediated the talks, the agency said. British Prime Minister Liz Truss confirmed that five British citizens captured in Ukraine had been released owing to the efforts from the Saudi side.

According to reports in Ukrainian media outlets, the prisoner exchange led to the release of Azov* servicewoman Yekaterina Polishchuk (call sign Ptashka), and Mikhail Vershinin, head of the Mariupol patrol police. Commanders of Azov* regiment (recognized by the court in Russia as a terrorist organization) Denis Prokopenko (Redis), Sergei Volynsky (Volyna) and Svyatoslav Palamar (Kalina) were also released as a result of the prisoner exchange.

According to DPR Deputy Minister Daniil Bezsonov, the servicement, who were captured during a retreat in the Kharkiv direction, as well as pilots of the RF Armed Forces, were delivered to the Russian side.