17:49 25.05.2016

Plane carrying Russian GRU officers Yerofeyev and Alexandrov lands in Vnukovo

2 min read
Plane carrying Russian GRU officers Yerofeyev and Alexandrov lands in Vnukovo

The plane carrying Russian citizens Yevgeny Yerofeyev and Alexander Alexandrov, who were convicted in Ukraine, landed at the Moscow Vnukovo Airport on Wednesday afternoon, an Interfax correspondent has reported.

The wives, Yekaterina of Alexandrov, and Yulia of Yerofeyev, met them there.

In a conversation with an Interfax correspondent, Yulia Yerofeyeva admitted that she was very worried about her husband, but was confident that the situation would be resolved favorably.

"Of course, we were looking forward, we were very worried, we hoped that they would come back soon. I believed that no one would abandon them there," she said.

"We were very worried for them," Yekaterina Alexandrova said.

The wives of the released Russians thanked everyone who supported them throughout all these months.

On May 16, 2015, Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev, servicemen of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, were detained near the town of Schastia, Luhansk region of Ukraine, according to Kyiv, in an attempt to seize a strategic bridge.

On May 19, Ukrainian detectives told the Russians that they were suspected of crimes stipulated under Article 258-3 of the Ukrainian Penal Code for involvement in terrorist activities. The Kyiv Shevchenkivsky District Court ordered their arrest on May 22.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that Yerofeyev and Alexandrov were not on Russian military duty at the moment of their detention in Ukraine.

On April 18, 2016, the Kyiv Holosiyivsky Court found them guilty of "conducting an aggressive war by the previous concert of a group of people", "terrorist activities" and some other counts of crimes. The court sentenced them to 14 years in prison and confiscation of property. The sentence took effect on May 23, 2016.

On May 24, the Ukrainian president's press service published a presidential decree pardoning Alexandrov and Yerofeyev.

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