Russia claimed today that 141 British “mercenaries” have been killed in the war in Ukraine.
The figures came from the Russian ministry of defence without names or clear evidence of how the numbers were calculated.
Britain is seen as third among European countries in the number of deaths among foreign fighters.
Some 436 mercenaries arrived from the UK since the war started on 24 February, and 141 died, claimed the ministry headed by close Vladimir Putin ally Sergei Shoigu.
A total of 1,837 came from Poland with 643 allegedly killed.
Some 505 “mercenaries” came from Romania, with 156 killed, say the Russians.
This compares with 608 fighters from Canada, with 213 killed, and 565 from the US with 241 killed.
This comes as two British fighters Sean Pinner, 48, and Aiden Aslin, 28, are appealing a “court” verdict in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic which sentenced them to death for allegedly fighting as “mercenaries” in eastern Ukraine and killing civilians.
Both were employed by the Ukrainian armed forces.
Three more John Harding, 59, Dylan Healy, 22, and Andrew Hill, 35, are to face trial at the same “court” of fighting as “mercenaries” and can also face the death penalty in the rogue pro-Putin state.
Healy, 22, was seeking to evacuate a woman and her children from the war zone when he was seized by the Russians.
He was held with British man Paul Urey, 45, who died in July in detention from “illness and stress” but amid claims he had suffered torture from secret services interrogators.
Hill was a military volunteer from Plymouth, held near Mykolaiv, and Harding is an ex-military man from Sunderland who was fighting with the Ukrainian military for four years.
The Foreign Office has accused Russian and its proxies in Donetsk of "exploitation of prisoners of war and civilians for political purposes”.
Russia and the DPR have claimed Britain has failed to help the detained men.
Multiple threats have been made to carry out the death sentence from a court that is not recognised as legitimate in the West.
Last month, the pro-Russian separatists said they're "preparing a place for the execution" of Aslin and Pinner.
A statement from officials in the breakaway region of Ukraine reportedly said that they were “preparing a place for their execution” which would be by firing squad and without any prior warning.
DPR spokesman Denys Pushilin added: "Everything is ready. It won’t be public."
