Poroshenko orders diplomats to step up efforts to free Ukrainians held in Russia
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has instructed the Foreign Ministry and other relevant departments to step up activities for the release of Ukrainian citizens illegally detained in the Russian Federation.
In a statement on his official Facebook page on Wednesday evening, Poroshenko said that he instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant departments to intensify efforts for the soonest release of all Ukrainian citizens and for protection of their rights, including through increased international pressure on Russia.
According to the Ukrainian president, he made this decision after another mock trial of Ukraine's Mykola Karpiuk and Stanislav Klykh in Russia.
Poroshenko also said that the absurdity is emphasized by Moscow's recent refusal to hand over Ukrainian citizens Oleh Sentsov and Oleksandr Kolchenko to Kyiv based on claims that the two Ukrainians have Russian passports.
"And this comes after the Russian human rights commissioner recognized Kolchenko and Sentsov as citizens of Ukraine," he said.
The Russian Supreme Court resolved on October 26, 2016, to recognize as lawful the verdict in the case of Ukrainian citizens Karpiuk and Klykh. The court ruled that they had fought against Russian federal government troops during the first Chechen campaign in the ranks of the UNA-UNSO.
The two Ukrainians had been sentenced by the Chechnya Supreme Court to 22.5 and 20 years in prison respectively.
In August 2015, the Northern Caucasus District Court found Sentsov and Kolchenko guilty of creating a terrorist community in Crimea, the commission of two terrorist attacks and the preparations for another one, and also an attempt to acquire explosive devices and illegal weapons storage. Sentsov was sentenced to 20 years in a penal colony, and Kolchenko was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Early this May, Sentsov and Kolchenko filled out forms for their extradition to Ukraine.
On October 21, Deputy Justice Minister of Ukraine for European Integration Serhiy Petukhov said Russia refused to hand over Sentsov and Kolchenko to Ukraine.
