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Kiev court arrests second Russian citizen detained in Donbas

The two Russian citizens are facing a prison term of at least 15 years
Yevgeny Yerofeyev at a hospital in Kiev EPA/TASS/ROMAN PILIPEY
Yevgeny Yerofeyev at a hospital in Kiev
© EPA/TASS/ROMAN PILIPEY

KIEV, May 22. /TASS/. A court in Kiev has ordered the arrest of the second Russian national Yevgeny Yerofeyev detained by the Ukrainian law enforcers in the Luhansk region, advisor to the Security Service of Ukraine Markian Lubkovsky said on Friday.

According to Lubkovsky, Yevgeny Yerofeyev and Alexander Alexandrov were taken to custody as a pre-trial measure.

"A decision was taken on their arrest until July 19," Lubkovsky wrote on his Facebook page.

It was earlier reported that Russian national Alexander Alexandrov was arrested by a Kiev court. 

The two Russian citizens are facing a prison term of at least 15 years, spokesman for the Security Service of Ukraine Vitaly Naida said shortly before. He noted that they were suspected of carrying out "terrorist attacks" under Article 258 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code. "They may be sentenced to at least 15 years in prison," he said.

On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry made a statement expressing hope for "the release of the former service members detained by Ukraine’s Security Service." "At the time of their detention on May 17, Russian nationals Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev captured by Ukraine’s Security Service in the Luhansk region were not on active service in the Russian Armed Forces," Defence Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said.

"We checked the Ukrainian side’s information. These guys used to serve in a unit of the Russian Armed Forces and underwent military training. Moreover, I can confirm that the leadership of the Association of Veterans of Special Operations Forces had asked us to contact Ukraine’s General Staff through official channels to put an end to tortures of their wounded comrades by Security Service officers aimed at securing expected confessions," Konashenkov said.

"We reckon on the prudence of the Ukrainian leadership and the speedy release of Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev," he added.