The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has called Russia's refusal to extradite to Ukraine convicted film director Oleh Sentsov cynical and continues insisting on his Ukrainian citizenship.
"An absolutely cynical decision made by the Russian side. Oleh, a citizen of Ukraine, has become a pawn of the Russian Federation's aggressive policies. We demand the immediate release of Oleh Sentsov, who was convicted for political motives, and all Ukrainian political prisoners in the Russian Federation," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maryana Betsa said on Twitter on Friday.
Sentsov was detained in Crimea in 2014. In August 2015, the Northern Caucasus District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced film director Oleh Sentsov to 20 years in a high-security penal colony for the creation of a terrorist community in the territory of Crimea. Kyiv said the case was politically motivated and demanded Sentsov's release.
It was reported on October 21 that Russia had refused to extradite Sentsov to Ukraine, saying the reason is that he has Russian citizenship.