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Russia accepts no claims on Savchenko in context of Minsk accords - Foreign Ministry

On March 22, the Donetsk City Court in Russia’s southern Rostov Region found Savchenko guilty of directing the Ukrainian army’s artillery fire in east Ukraine that had killed Russian journalists

© Gennadiy Khamelyanin/ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, March 27. /TASS/. Russia accepts no claims on the case of convicted Ukrainian ex-pilot Nadezhda Savchenko in the context of the Minsk accords on the political settlement in east Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday.

The spokeswoman commented on the statements that Moscow must release Savchenko under the Minsk-2 accords.

"Russia is not a party to the Minsk agreements. They are devoted to two conflicting sides," Zakharova said.

Read also

Kremlin regrets Kiev’s hysteria on the rise over Savchenko’s case - spokesman

"We must exert influence on the conflicting sides and, likewise, France and Germany must exert influence on Kiev. That’s all. We don’t have to do anything else," the spokeswoman said.

On March 22, the Donetsk City Court in Russia’s southern Rostov Region found Savchenko guilty of directing the Ukrainian army’s artillery fire in east Ukraine that had killed Russian journalists. She was found guilty of the killing of VGTRK journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin and illegally crossing of the Russian border.

She was sentenced to 22 years in prison and a fine of 30,000 rubles ($440).

As Savchenko said earlier, she didn’t recognize the court’s verdict but wouldn’t appeal against it.

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