Three Britons captured by rebels in Ukraine plead not guilty to being mercenaries

All the captured men could face the death penalty if found guilty of being mercenaries

From left, Briton John Harding, Croatian Vjekoslav Prebeg, Swede Mathias Gustafsson, and Britons Andrew Hill and Dylan Healy (Associated Press)

Three British men are among five European citizens who have pleaded not guilty to charges of mercenarism after they were captured by Russia-backed separatists in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

John Harding, Andrew Hill and Dylan Healy have been accused of being mercenaries and “undergoing training to seize power by force,” according to Russian media.

The other two captured men are Matthias Gustafsson from Sweden and Vjekoslav Prebeg from Croatia.