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More than 100 Russians are in custody in Ukraine — human rights envoy

As a rule, Russian citizens are accused of creating a threat to Ukraine’s territorial integrity

© AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov

MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/. More than one hundred Russian citizens are held in custody in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law Konstantin Dolgov has told Rossiya-1 TV channel.

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Moscow to take steps to return Russians sentenced to prison terms in Ukraine — consul

"According to our estimates, currently more than 100 Russian citizens are held in Ukraine’s detention centers, charges under the so-called political articles have been brought against more than 130 Russian citizens," he said.

"We are talking about events related to the hostilities in the Donbass region. As a rule, Russian citizens are accused of creating a threat to Ukraine’s territorial integrity," Dolgov said, adding that the Ukrainian side very often failed to comply with the bilateral and international obligations on its actions connected with the arrest of Russian citizens.

The diplomat noted that the Russian Foreign Ministry continued to work on the speedy return of the detained Russians despite the "obstacles and barriers" on the part of the Ukrainian authorities.

The situation in Ukraine "where virtually no international legal norms in the area of human rights are working" deserves "the most serious, decisive and effective international response," he said.

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