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Russian human rights chief requests info from Ukraine on disappearance of Nord’s captain

In March 2018, the Ukrainian Border Service detained the Nord vessel with a crew of 10 Russian citizens in the Sea of Azov

Nord fishing vessel Ukrainian State Border Guard Service

Nord fishing vessel

© Ukrainian State Border Guard Service

MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova asks Ukraine’s authorities to explain the situation regarding the disappearance of the captain of the Russian ship Nord, Vladimir Gorbenko, who was held on Ukraine’s territory for almost a year on charges of "violating the entry rules to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine" and illegal fishing.

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Captain of Russia’s Nord vessel goes missing in Ukraine — lawyer

"I have no information on what the Ukrainian side is currently doing to clarify the situation, but in any way this situation is extremely alarming and is raising questions. <...> Today, I address Ukraine’s official authorities, asking to clarify the situation, and ask our diplomatic channels to inform me if they have any information," she told journalists on Tuesday.

"What happened to him, could he have gone anywhere, driven to despair by this lengthy process, or could he have been abducted? Was there any violence used or was it just aimless wandering?" the commissioner for human rights added.

The Nord

In March 2018, the Ukrainian Border Service detained the Nord vessel with a crew of 10 Russian citizens in the Sea of Azov. Captain Vladimir Gorbenko was charged with "the violation of entry rules to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine" and illegal fishing. Kherson City Court released him on bail on April 10 with the obligation to turn up for investigative actions, while an administrative penalty was ruled for the other sailors.

Two sailors managed to leave Ukraine in a short term, while Kiev detained the others for seven months, not allowing them to leave the country with their Russian documents. On October 30, at the agreement between Russia and Ukraine, seven Russian sailors were transferred to Ukraine in exchange for the same number of Ukrainian fishers from two Ukrainian vessels, YaMK-0041 and YaOD-2105, who had been earlier detained for illegal fishing off Crimean shore.

Kiev’s Obolonsky District Court earlier rescheduled the study of the case against captain of the Russian fishing vessel Nord Vladimir Gorbenko for February 1. On Monday, Gorbenko’s lawyer stated that he had gone missing.

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