Ukrainian sailors held in Moscow prison visited by Ukrainian diplomatic staff
On December 11, employees of Albert Chernyakov, the Ukrainian consul in Moscow, visited six Ukrainian soldiers who were captured by Russia off the coast of Crimea and are now being held in the Lefortovo pretrial detention center in Moscow: Oleh Melnychuk, Mykhailo Vlasyuk, Viktor Bezpalchenko, Volodymyr Tereshchenko, Yevhen Semydotsky and Volodymyr Lisovy.
According to the consul, the Ukrainians’ condition is satisfactory, and their attitude is optimistic, hoping for a prompt return home. They have not yet been allowed to contact relatives, but will definitely call them soon. These statements by the consul were published on Facebook by Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova.
With respect to the conditions of detainment, the consul reported that they were all in double rooms with TVs and refrigerators, and allowed to use the library.
“Our sailors have been provided with warm clothes and shoes, as well as set of food products given by volunteers. They did not complain about the conditions of detainment or the use of force,” Denisova emphasized.
The consul also reported that all the soldiers had been informed about Ukraine’s official stance concerning their status as prisoners of war, according to the Geneva convention of 1949, and the steps taken by Ukraine’s leaders to expedite their release, including qualified legal assistance at the state’s expense.
In addition, the Ukrainian embassy has transferred once-off monetary assistance to each soldier’s personal bank account, Denisova noted.
On November 25, Russian soldiers off the Crimean coast rammed into, fired on and captured three Ukrainian military vessels – two armored artillery boats, the Berdyansk and Nikopol, and the tugboat Yany Kapu. The Ukrainian boats were traveling from Odessa to Mariupol. Six Ukrainians were wounded, according to Kyiv.
Russia’s FSB confirmed that weapons had been used against the Ukrainian vessels, but asserts that the three Ukrainian boats had “illegally crossed the Russian state border”.
Kremlin-controlled courts in Crimea placed all 24 Ukrainian crew members under arrest until January 25, 2019, charging them according to section 3 article 322 of Russia’s Criminal Code (illegal border crossing). According to the charges, they could face up to 6 years in prison. All of the arrested Ukrainian soldiers have been transferred to Moscow.