Brit fighters sentenced to death by Russian court forced to say they’re terrorists

TWO British-born prisoners of war sentenced to death by Russia were forced by their captors to say they are terrorists, The Sun can reveal. Heroes Shaun Pinner, 48, and Aiden Aslin, 28, pleaded guilty to “undergoing training with the aim of carrying out terrorist activities” during a Kremlin-controlled kangaroo court. EPAThe men pleaded guilty to ‘undergoing training with the aim of carrying out terrorist activities’ during a Kremlin-controlled kangaroo court[/caption] But both men called The Sun’s news desk weeks before their conviction, declaring they were Ukrainian citizens serving legally in the nation’s army. Their families and British officials are convinced they were tricked into wrongly admitting guilt — believing they would be let-off with a lighter sentence. Recordings made when they called The Sun show they thought they were legal combatants entitled to be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention. Their words were completely at odds with their terrorism pleas given at a trial this week. They appeared on trumped-up charges in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s puppet state, the Donetsk People’s Republic. READ MORE UKRAINE 'SCARED' Brit fighters captured in Ukraine forced to call The Sun and beg for their lives ZEL-FIE Defiant Volodymyr Zelensky poses for selfie on bombarded Ukraine frontline Shaun — a former waste manager from Watford, Herts — told us in a call on April 25: “We’re scared to death. Mariupol is my adopted city. “I’m not a freedom fighter — Mariupol is my home.” Most read in The Sun I'M OFF Love Island Liam QUITS the show and already left the villa leaving cast devastated WHAT A FLIGHTMARE Another airline scraps hundreds of flights this summer NAGGING DOUBT Love Island's Gemma has won just THREE dressage competitions in seven years IN IT TO WIN IT Liverpool 'agree terms with Darwin Nunez' but Man Utd launch late bid NOT IN MY YARD I’m furious after the council sold 'my garden' to my neighbours GOING SOUTH Tourists told NOT to book holiday homes in Cornwall this summer Aiden, a former care worker from Newark, Notts, said: “They have agreed to do a prisoner exchange with myself and Shaun. “It is important Boris Johnson is able to help influence this decision.” They are believed to have been talking at gunpoint. The Sun did not report on their calls at the time as the Foreign Office said it may “impact their safety”. APShaun Pinner said: ‘I’m not a freedom fighter — Mariupol is my home’[/caption] Food hit for years A GLOBAL food crisis started by the Ukraine war could last for years, according to the World Trade Organization head. Director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said African countries could be hit especially hard by wheat and fertilizer shortages. Millions of tons of grain are sitting in warehouses and Ukrainian ports and are unable to be exported. She said that was “really sad” to see as prices soar. Ukraine is a major global exporter of wheat contributing nine per cent of the global market. It accounts for 42 per cent of the global sunflower oil market.