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Ukrainian ombudswoman puts forward new conditions for visiting Russian prisoners

Earlier, the Russian ombudswoman was not allowed to visit Russian military serviceman Maxim Odintsov at a detention center in Kiev

KIEV, June 26. /TASS/. The Ukrainian parliament’s human rights commissioner Lyudmila Denisova on Tuesday put forward new conditions to her Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalkova for what she described as "synchronized and mutual" visits of prisoners in the two countries’ territories.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Russian ombudswoman was not allowed to visit Russian military serviceman Maxim Odintsov at a detention center in Kiev on the pretext some required documents were missing.

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After that Denisova published a new list of demands addressed to Russia on her Facebook page. Among other things she demanded a meeting with the crew of Ukrainian fishing boat YaMK-0041 at the Ukrainian consulate-general in Rostov-on-Don, assistance in visiting Ukrainian citizen Roman Sushchenko and also a request to the Russian president for pardoning Oleg Sentsov, serving a prison term for terrorism.

Denisova argued that Ukraine had already implemented the principle of reciprocity by ostensibly lifting the ban from Moskalkova’s entry into Ukraine and by posing no obstructions to her meeting with the crew of the Russian ship The Nord at the embassy in Kiev.

After being denied an opportunity to visit Odintsov Moskalkova said that under the agreed principle of reciprocity it was her turn to visit Russian convicts in Ukraine.

"Together with the Ukrainian consul I held a joint meeting in Omsk with Dmitry Shtyblikov," she recalled. "He was on the list received from the Ukrainian side. We are waiting for a reciprocal move - a meeting with one person in detention in Ukrainian territory. This is required by the principle of synchronicity and parity. Not going to Omsk was Denisova’s own decision. She had been invited to a meeting with Shtyblikov."

Moskalkova added that the latest decision by the Ukrainian authorities "leads to a worsening of bilateral relations." Her telephone conversation with Denisova earlier in the day "gives no grounds for an optimistic conclusion the two sides may move towards each other in a constructive way.".

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