MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS/. This year, member states of the European Union and Canada have turned down 67 requests from Russia to extradite suspected criminals wanted for various crimes, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Between January 1 and September 20, 2024, foreign states turned down 67 Russian extradition requests, 14 of them based on political grounds: Austria (2), Canada (2), the Czech Republic (2), Finland (1), Germany (1), Latvia (1), Poland (1), Slovakia (3), Slovenia (1)," the statement reads.

"Meanwhile, for 19 other requests which were rejected, either no reason was given or the extradition was denied based on ‘other reasons’. It is possible that such refusals may also be based on political reasons," according to the statement. "These extradition refusals include persons accused of committing crimes under Art. 159 of the Criminal Code (fraud), article 165 of the Criminal Code (causing property damage by deception or abuse of trust), article 162 of the Criminal Code (robbery) and others."

Moreover, in 2024, 27 requests for legal assistance from the Russian Federation were refused, seven of them for political reasons: Latvia (3), Canada (1), Switzerland (3), the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office stated.

"For example, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice notified the Russian side of its refusal to meet a request for legal assistance in a criminal case of fraud. The reasoning part [to reject the request] stated that 'no legal assistance can be provided to the Russian Federation'," the statement continued.

"Previously, the [Swiss Federal] Office [of Justice] cited in its denials 'extreme doubts as to whether Russia would adhere to safeguards or other international legal obligations in connection with the legal assistance provided'."

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office stated that "following the launch of the special military operation [in Ukraine], manifestations of Russophobia in Western countries, primarily in the member states of the European Union, reached such a level that the law enforcement agencies of these countries in a number of cases refused to cooperate with Russia, flying in the face of international law."