The fact that Ukrainian citizens Yuriy Soloshenko and Hennadiy Afanasyev have applied for pardon does not mean that the Ukrainian and Russian Justice Ministries have stopped contacts on their extradition to Kyiv according to the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons , Ukrainian Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko said.

"If they are pardoned, they will return to the territory of Ukraine in accordance with a relevant decision made by the Russian side on pardon. There is currently no decision on pardon, we are not stopping the legal procedures according to the convention," Petrenko told reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday, responding to a question from Interfax-Ukraine.