The Ukrainian Justice Ministry has sent to Moscow a request for the handover of Ukrainian citizen Mykola Karpiuk convicted in Russia to the Ukrainian side.

"We are sending the request on Karpiuk's handover to Russia. His brother, Valentyn Karpyuk, filed an application," Serhiy Petukhov, Ukrainian Deputy Justice Minister, wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.

The Chechen Supreme Court sentenced Karpiuk to 22.5 and Stanislav Klykh to 20 years' imprisonment on May 26. The sentence stipulates that Karpiuk will spend the first 10 years and Klykh the first 9 years in jail, and the two will then serve the rest of their sentences in a strict-security penitentiary. A jury earlier found Karpiuk and Klykh guilty of the charges brought against them.

The Russian investigation claim that Klykh and Karpyuk had been members of the Ukrainian National Assembly-Ukrainian People's Self-Defense (UNA-UNSO) and fought for armed units of the self-proclaimed republic of Ichkeria against Russian federal forces in 1994-1995. In particular, they were charged with fighting Russian troops in Grozny, including in the area of Minutka square and near the presidential palace.