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Kiev’s appeal court remands Russian nationals detained in Ukraine in custody

Alexandrov and Yerofeyev were detained by Ukrainian servicemen on May 16 near the village of Schastye of the Luhansk Region

KIEV, June 10. /TASS/. Kiev’s appeal court has remanded Russian nationals Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev in custody.

Russians Alexandrov and Yerofeyev were detained by Ukrainian servicemen on May 16 near the village of Schastye of the Luhansk Region. On May 22, a Kiev court arrested them.

The Kiev authorities claimed the detainees allegedly were Russian servicemen. But on May 18 Russia’s Defence Ministry said "Russian nationals Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev, seized by the SBU [Ukraine's Security Service] in the Luhansk Region, were not active servicemen of Russia’s Armed Forces at the moment when they were detained on May 17."

Later, self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) leader Igor Plotnitsky said Alexandrov and Yerofeyev made part of the LPR People’s Militia, adding that their surnames were the first ones on the prisoner exchange list. He also said Kiev could use the detainees for provocations.