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Murder investigation opened following disappearance of Russian vessel’s captain in Ukraine

The attorney said that neither the captain’s lawyers nor police had any information on his whereabouts

KIEV, January 30. /TASS/. Police in the Ukrainian city of Melitopol have opened a premeditated murder case following the disappearance of Vladimir Gorbenko, the captain of Russia’s Nord fishing vessel, the captain’s lawyer Alexander Rudenko told TASS on Wednesday.

"As far as we know, a criminal investigation has been opened. We were told it was launched under the article on premeditated murder," he said, adding that when a person disappeared, "a criminal investigation citing especially grave offences is usually opened, which makes it possible to carry out the necessary investigative activities."

Rudenko said that neither Gorbenko’s lawyers nor police had any information on his whereabouts. "There is no news unfortunately, the captain hasn’t contacted anyone," he noted.

At the same time, he confirmed that the captain’s lawyers would arrive in court on February 1, when Gorbenko’s case is scheduled to be heard. "We will participate in the hearing but we don’t know the prosecution’s position. As for ours, we clarified it on Monday, informing the court about the captain’s disappearance as soon as we came to know about it," Rudenko said.

Nord vessel issue

In March 2018, Ukraine’s State Border Service detained a fishing vessel flying the Russian flag in the Sea of Azov, whose crew includes ten Russian nationals. The vessel’s captain was charged under the Ukrainian Criminal Code’s article on "violating the entry and exit rules to Ukraine’s occupied territory" and illegal fishing. On April 6, the Kherson City Court released Gorbenko on bail.

The crew members were prevented from leaving Ukraine with Russian passports as Kiev considers Crimean residents to be Ukrainian citizens. However, two of the sailors managed to leave Ukraine. On October 30, Ukraine handed seven sailors over to Russia in exchange for seven Ukrainian crew members from the YaMK-0041 and YaOD-2105 ships, detained for illegal fishing off Crimea’s coast.

Kiev’s Obolonsky District Court earlier postponed the hearing of Gorbenko’s case until February 1.

On Monday, his defense said that the captain had disappeared. According to lawyers, Gorbenko did not plan to go anywhere, so they believe that Ukrainian security agencies had a hand in the matter. However, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said it had no information about the captain’s whereabouts.