The possibility of transferring Ukrainian Armed Forces pilot Nadia Savchenko to Ukraine after she is convicted by a Russian court may be considered if Ukraine recognizes the decision of the Russian court and guarantees that Savchenko will serve her sentence in a Ukrainian prison, the Russian Justice Ministry said in a press release seen by Interfax on Thursday.

"In accordance with Article 471 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, [a request for] a person's transfer may be rejected if… a court or another relevant institution of a foreign state refuses to recognize a Russian court's verdict or if a court of another relevant institution of a foreign state agrees to recognize a Russian court's verdict but refuses to determine the procedure and the terms for convicted persons to serve their sentences," the ministry said.

"If the Justice Ministry of Russia receives a request to hand over convicted citizens of Ukraine to subsequently serve their prison sentences in the state of their citizenship, it will be considered in accordance with the provisions of the convention [on the transfer of sentenced persons] and the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation," it said.

The ministry also noted that issues concerning convicted persons' transfers between Russia and Ukraine are regulated by the 1983 Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons and Russia's Code of Criminal Procedure.

"In accordance with Article 2 of the convention, [the Justice Ministry of Ukraine] is entitled to submit a request seeking the transfer of a sentenced person to the Justice Ministry of Russia or to the body in charge of these issues in a foreign state. A sentenced person can be transferred if a number of conditions are fulfilled, including the condition requiring the enactment of the court verdict and the sentenced person's consent (Article 3 of the convention)," the Russian Justice Ministry said.