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Doctors from Germany assess Ukrainian pilot Savchenko’s health condition as satisfactory

Russian and German doctors exchanged opinions on further tactic of patient management, noting that psychologic work should be conducted with the accused aimed at termination of her hunger strike
Nadezhda Savchenko Artyom Korotaev/TASS
Nadezhda Savchenko
© Artyom Korotaev/TASS

MOSCOW, February 16. /TASS/. Doctors from Germany have assessed the health condition of Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko as satisfactory, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) reported Monday.

The service told TASS that German medical specialists "checked the dynamics of her health for the entire period of her detention" and examined her.

"There have been no differences in the assessment of her health on the part of foreign colleagues and FSIN doctors," FSIN said. Besides, German experts did not find grounds for an additional examination and treatment.

During a medical board meeting, "foreign specialists assessed the state of her health as satisfactory, noted the professional approach and completeness of Savchenko’s diagnostic and treatment measures in conditions of a FSIN medical unit’s hospital."

Russian and German doctors "exchanged opinions on further tactic of patient management, noting that psychologic work should be conducted with the accused aimed at termination of her hunger strike and continuation of cooperation between medical specialists of Russia and Germany."

What Nadezhda Savchenko is accused of

Investigators say that during combat operations near the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk in the summer of 2014, Savchenko, who was a gunner for a Mil Mi-24 (NATO reporting name: Hind) helicopter gunship, joined the Aidar battalion — a paramilitary group of Ukraine’s Interior Ministry.

She is suspected of involvement in the murder of two Russian journalists, Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin, near Luhansk in July 2014, as well as of illegally crossing the Russian border. The two criminal cases against her have been integrated.

Earlier Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said that "the investigation has irrefutable proof in the form of Savchenko’s own recordings confirming her involvement in fire adjustment, data of ballistic examination of fragments taken from the bodies of those killed as well as satellite photo and video footage of the place where the journalists were killed. All this evidence has been provided by the investigation to conduct a situational forensic examination."

He said Savchenko is accused of committing a serious crime and added that there are no grounds for her release.

In turn, head of the Russian presidential council on civil society development and human rights Mikhail Fedotov said after visiting Savchenko in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center that she "does not want pardon or amnesty" and is "set for the soonest possible trial that she is convinced will establish her innocence."

Fedotov said Savchenko does not yet plan to stop her hunger strike.

Next week, presidential human rights council members plan to visit Savchenko once again.

Moscow’s Basmanny Court recently extended detention for Savchenko until May 13.

The defense said the court’s ruling on detention extension is illegal and plans to appeal it in the Moscow City Court.

The period of investigation on Savchenko’s case has also been extended until May 13.

In protest, Savchenko has been on a hunger strike for two months, refusing to end it until her release.