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Crimea and Sevastopol

Ukraine’s Security Service abducted two Russian servicemen at Crimean car checkpoint

Russia’s Defense Ministry assumes the Ukrainian special services are taking efforts to fabricate a criminal case against the soldiers for allegedly committing crimes against Ukraine

Dzhankoi checkpoint in Crimea Alexei Pavlishak/TASS

Dzhankoi checkpoint in Crimea

© Alexei Pavlishak/TASS

SEVASTOPOL, November 22. /TASS/. The Ukrainian Security Service abducted two Russian servicemen on November 20 at the Dzhankoi international automobile checkpoint in Crimea, a spokesman for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet said on Tuesday.

"Officers of the Ukrainian Security Service used substitute persons to entice warrant officer Maxim Odintsov and contract service junior sergeant Alexander Baranov into the Dzhankoi checkpoint allegedly for giving them attested documents of receiving higher education at Ukrainian higher educational institutions," the fleet’s spokesman said.

Read also

Two Russian servicemen abducted by Ukraine security officers in Crimea — defense ministry

"Immediately after Maxim Odintsov and Alexander Baranov left the limits of the Russian Federation, the servicemen were detained by representatives of the Ukrainian Security Service and brought to the Nikolayev Region of Ukraine," the fleet’s spokesman said.

The reports about the abduction of two Russian servicemen came on Monday evening. As Russia’s Defense Ministry said, the Ukrainian Security Service officers had illegally detained Russian contract servicemen in Crimea at about 13:00 Moscow time (10:00 GMT) on November 20.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that according to available data, the Ukrainian special services are taking efforts to fabricate a criminal case against Baranov and Odintsov for allegedly committing crimes against Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry demanded that Ukraine immediately return the servicemen to the territory of Russia.

In turn, Ukraine’s Security Service claimed that the Russian servicemen had been detained on the border with Crimea. According to the Ukrainian side’s version, two Russian citizens had earlier served in the Ukrainian army and breached their oath of enlistment.

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Crimea and Sevastopol

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