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Ukraine’s ex-pilot Savchenko unwilling to ask for pardon — lawyer

Former Ukrainian pilot Savchenko, sentenced to 22 years in jail in Russia for killing two journalists, repeatedly said she does not want to ask for pardon

Nadezhda Savchenko AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev

Nadezhda Savchenko

© AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev

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Savchenko fills in documents necessary for her handover to Ukraine — lawyer

MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. Former Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko, who has been sentenced to 22 years in jail in Russia for killing two journalists, does not want to ask for pardon, her lawyer Mark Feygin told TASS on Monday.

"We spoke with her several times on this issue. She has repeatedly said that she does not want to ask for pardon," Feygin said.

The lawyer noted that Savchenko could reconsider her position in case if there is a guarantee for a positive decision upon the request.

He also said his client is waiting for a decision on Ukraine’s request on her transfer to serve sentence in her home country. "We understand that this is a lengthy procedure but we hope that the decision on the issue will be positive and Savchenko will be sent home."

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The Donetsk City Court in Russia’s southern Rostov Region ruled on March 22 to find former Ukrainian pilot Savchenko guilty of directing the pro-Kiev forces’ artillery fire in south-east Ukraine that had killed Russian journalists. She was found guilty of killing Russia’s VGTRK Media Group journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin and illegally crossing the Russian border.

She was sentenced to 22 years in a general-security penal colony and a fine of 30,000 rubles ($440). Savchenko has denied any wrongdoing and does not recognize the sentence. She is now held in a detention facility in Novocherkassk, southern Russia.

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Ukraine crisis Nadezhda Savchenko

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