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Kiev court may reconsider case against suspected Russian soldiers

According to the lawyer, the term of office of one of three judges will expire in the first decade of February

KIEV, January 11. /TASS/. A Kiev court may reconsider the case of two Russian citizens Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev due to the expiration of term of office of one of three judges, a lawyer told TASS on Monday.

"The term of office of one of three judges will expire in the first decade of February. Under our legislation, if the composition of the court changes, the process will begin again," said Yuri Grabovsky, a lawyer of Alexandrov.

The prosecutors and the defense team do not want this process to begin again, the lawyer said. The trial of the Russian citizens is quick enough and there is no talk of delaying the process, he added.

Russians Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev were captured by Ukraine’s forces in mid-May in the Luhansk region, in eastern Ukraine. Kiev claimed the detainees allegedly were Russian servicemen.

Russia’s Defense Ministry later said the Russians "were not active servicemen of Russia’s Armed Forces at the moment when they were detained on May 17."

The court of Kiev’s Shevchenkovsky district arrested Alexandrov and Yerofeyev on May 22. The appeal court of Kiev on June 10 upheld the arrest of Russians, backing the decision of the first instance court. Kiev’s Goloseyevsky district court has extended their custody until February 20, 2016. The next hearing will take place on January 12.