Mr Urey appeared on Russian television in handcuffs on May 5 and made what appeared to be a scripted statement in which he called the British government “corrupt”. Ukrainian officials have already said they would seek to involve Mr Ashlin and Mr Piner in a prisoner swap for Russian prisoners held by Kyiv. It is believed that the death penalty imposed on British prisoners is primarily intended as a shock tactic to maximize their value as bargaining chips. The verdicts could easily be overturned by Moscow, which dominates the leaders of the Donetsk People’s Republic and has maintained a moratorium on the death penalty since 1996. This would allow the Kremlin to be seen as showing leniency, strengthening its hand in any prisoner exchange talks. Two former US soldiers, Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, are also in custody in the Donetsk People’s Republic after being captured during fighting near the northeastern city of Kharkiv last month. Mr Drueke’s family last week said his captors had contacted the US State Department to say they wanted to open negotiations for his release.
