MOSCOW, July 15. /TASS/. Russia demands the immediate release of Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod and Chernobyl, the Abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra monastery, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Saturday.

"We demand that the Kiev regime be strictly compliant with its international legal obligations and that Metropolitan Pavel, who is suffering from a serious illness, be released without delay and provided with necessary medical assistance," the diplomat said.