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Foreign Ministry demands from Ukraine immediate consular access to detained Russian man

The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that attempts by some media to present the situation so as if Russian diplomats are not interested in Viktor Ageyev’s fate, are not true

MOSCOW, July 25./TASS/. Russia demands from Ukraine an immediate access for consular officials to detained Russian national Viktor Ageyev, a Foreign Ministry commentary said on Tuesday.

"Depriving Ageyev of the right to consular protection, Kiev violates the 1993 Consular Convention between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, as well as the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963," the ministry said. "We urge the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to ensure unconditional compliance of the Ukrainian competent agencies with the above mentioned international treaties, and demand an immediate access of consular officials to Ageyev," it said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that attempts by some media to present the situation so as if Russian diplomats are not interested in Ageyev’s fate, are not true. "The Russian Foreign Ministry constantly monitors the situation with all Russian nationals facing problems in Ukraine, including the situation with Ageyev," it said.

The ministry said that Russian diplomats in Ukraine stay in touch with Ageyev’s lawyer and are doing everything to ensure protection of the detained Russian national’s rights.

The ministry also said that as soon as it learned about the detention of Ageyev, the Russian Embassy in Kiev sent a note, requesting a meeting with him as soon as possible. "The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry gave its consent, but the Ukrainian Security Service’s department in the Lugansk region, where the Russian consulate general in Kharkov turned to in line with the protocol, said such a meeting was possible no earlier than on July 24, 2017 in connection with carrying out of ‘emergency investigative action’," it went on.

At the same time, this did not prevent the Ukrainian authorities "from inviting to the detained Russian national media representatives to fan the pet subject of the Kiev authorities about the alleged ‘Russian aggression in Ukraine’," it said.

"It is obvious that in its anti-Russian hysteria, the Kiev regime has no thought of the humanitarian component of the issue, taking advantage even of parental feelings as an information pretext to show itself in the best light," the Foreign Ministry said.

Earlier reports said Russian national Viktor Ageyev had been detained in Ukraine. Kiev claimed he was a Russian Army active duty contract serviceman. According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, Ageyev has never served in the Russian Armed Forces under a contract. He was discharged after the completion of his active duty in accordance with the established procedure in 2016.