Ukrainian military servicewoman Nadia Savchenko, who is currently in jail in Rostov region after being sentenced to 22 years of imprisonment in Russia, has paid a 30,000-ruble fine imposed by the Russian court for a border-crossing that the court said was illegal, her mother Maria Savchenko said.

Speaking to journalists after the opening of a photo exhibition, entitled "Heroes' Mothers" in Kyiv on Sunday, she said that she had spoken to her daughter's lawyer Nikolai Polozov last Friday.

"He said that ... she was given documents in order to return to Ukraine. There is a line that requires her to admit that she crossed the border and asked for asylum, which he said made her laugh. There is also a fine there. Polozov explained to her that there is an article that if she fails to pay this fine, these documents will be deemed invalid. So she agreed," the Ukrainian woman's mother said.

She said that in jail Nadia had no money of her own, but the Ukrainian consuls gave her 40,000 Russian rubles.

"She gave away 30,000 rubles [to pay the fine]," M. Savchenko said.

In late April Savchenko and her lawyer Polozov filled out documentation for her extradition to Ukraine. Her other lawyer, Mark Feygin, said that while filling out the documentation Savchenko refused to admit her guilt.

"When she was filling out the documents, Nadia made no admission of guilt," her lawyer said.

"Nevertheless, she has agreed to pay the 30,000 ruble fine the court imposed on her for the ostensibly illegal border-crossing, but she also stated that she was taken out of Ukraine illegally," the defense lawyer said.

Polozov said that they also discussed the provisions of the extradition convention and its consequences.

"Everything that was required of Nadia, she complied with that, now the date of her release depends fully and entirely on how quickly the authorities will act," he said.

On March 22, the Donetsk City Court in Russia's Rostov region found Savchenko guilty in the killing of Russian journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin and sentenced her to 22 years of imprisonment. The court also found her guilty of attempted murder and illegal border crossing.