Croatian man who fought for Ukraine pleads not guilty in pro-Russian court

A Croatian man has pled not guilty to charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine in a court in the Russian-backed self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, in the Donbass region. 

Vjekoslav Prebeg is being tried along with four other foreign fighters taken prisoner in early May in the Mariupol area. The others have also pled not guilty to the charges. Three of the five, Prebeg included, face the possibility of a death sentence.

Asked by the judge if he knew the other defendants, the 40-year-old Prebeg said he did not. He told the judge that had been serving in the Ukrainian Navy where he was tasked with monitoring enemy movements and had not participated in any direct combat.

Croatia has said that it rejects all the charges and does not consider them justified or legal, and that this goes against international laws and conventions on the treatment of both civilian prisoners and prisoners of war.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted immediately, sending several messages. We believe these types of trials are absolutely unacceptable," said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

Since the beginning of the war, Moscow has claimed that hundreds of thousands of foreign mercenaries have been committing war crimes while fighting on the Ukrainian side.

Croatian military analyst, Igor Tabak says Russia's claim should be taken with a grain of salt.

"Claims about foreigners in the Ukrainian ranks, whom Russia claims there are many, have not proven true because the number of foreigners wounded or killed has amounted to only a handful - so few that they can be identified by name,” says Tabak.

“The trials Russia is staging are being intentionally held in these unrecognized separatist entities in an effort to bolster their self-proclaimed sovereignty. That's a problem for all of the countries whose nationals are in this predicament. Croatia's hands are tied. It must be careful not to unintentionally give these entities legitimacy. In Croatia's view, this was and remains Ukrainian territory," Tabak adds.

With respect to the charges against Prebeg, Tabak underscores that the man served in Ukraine's regular army and was arrested while forces were withdrawing, around 100 km outside of Mariupol, in a different oblast. He was not a mercenary and received a regular Ukrainian army salary, says Tabak, describing this as a show trial.

"Given the nature of this politically motivated process, I would not be at all surprised that he is given a death sentence - anything is possible when the trial is rigged,” he says and adds, “It is an entirely different matter how Croatia or Ukraine, a country in whose army he serving and where he was seeking citizenship, could help him by possibly arranging a prisoner exchange.”

Tabak says once a verdict is in, it may be possible to open a diplomatic channel to negotiate a prisoner exchange.

Three foreigners fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against Russian-backed troops near Mariupol were sentenced to death in June by the same court.