Moscow asks Kiev to provide information on Russian prisoners in Ukraine
Russia appealed to Ukraine with a request to provide data on detained Russian citizens, the Russian Foreign Ministry Special Representative for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Konstantin Dolgov, said.
"We sent a note to the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow requesting comprehensive information about Russian citizens in Ukrainian jails and other detention facilities," he wrote on Twitter.
He has previously stated that more than a hundred Russians are in detention or remand centers in Ukraine and that is an "incomplete statistic." However, he did not provide any evidence of his statements.
More than a month ago, Russian lawyer, Mark Feygin, who was defending Ukrainian citizens on trial in Russian courts, stated that he "knows firsthand" about Russian military that are in prison in Ukraine and took part in the fighting in the Donbas. However, he did not disclose information about their numbers.
The most famous Russian citizens, who were in Ukrainian jails, were Russian military – Captain Evgeniy Erofeev, and Sergeant Alexander Alexandrov. They were captured during a battle in the Luhansk region. They were exchanged for the Ukrainian MP, Nadiya Savchenko, who was tried in Russia.
Another Russian soldier, Major Vladimir Starkov, who became lost while driving a truck with ammunition in the Donetsk region and arrived at a Ukrainian Forces checkpoint was also exchanged for Ukrainian Commander, Andrei Grechanov ("Rahman"), who was captured by the separatists.
According to Ukrainian data, about 30 Ukrainian citizens have been arrested and detained in Russia or in the annexed Crimea. About half of them are Crimean Tatars.