Ukrainian MP and former prisoner of war Nadezhda Savchenko has arrived in Moscow’s High Court to attend the hearing of Ukrainian prisoners Nikolay Karpiuk and Stanislav Klikh.
Russia’s
Investigative Committee has accused the two Ukrainians of killing
servicemen during the Russian-Chechen War of 1994-95. A Russian court
gave Karpiuk 22.5 years in prison and Klikh 20 years. During the court
process, both men accused Russian authorities of torture. In a recent
video, Klikh appeared visibly shaken in court - his speech became
incomprehensible and he stopped recognizing his relatives.
Savchenko’s lawyer Ilya Novikov said there was “no other point to this trip apart from supporting Klikh and Karpiuk.”
“I know myself how important it is when you are in court sitting in a cage and Ukrainians are present. When there is someone to shout 'Glory to Ukraine!' and you hear the answer 'Glory to the heroes!' Then you understand that your people have not abandoned you and that the fight continues; you get some strength from it,” Savchenko wrote on Facebook.
Savchenko,
a pilot by profession, was released from a Russian prison in May in a
prisoner swap between Kiev and Moscow. This is her first time back in
Russia since then.
Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that entry into Russia for the Ukrainian Rada deputy is not closed so the press should not expect a reaction from Moscow about the visit. He added that all legal action taken by Moscow against Savchenko had been completed.
