KIEV, April 1. /TASS/. Ukrainian Communist Party leader Pyotr Simonenko on Thursday refuted media reports that he had received a summons for interrogation from the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU).

"I didn’t get any information from the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), nor did I leave for any other country and I’m staying on the Ukrainian territory," he said in an interview with Channel 112 in a comment on a statement by the SBU press secretary that he would be detained once he turned up on the Ukrainian territory.

The press secretary, Yelena Gitlyanskaya said the SBU had summoned Simonenko for interrogation for April 2 in connection with his statements in the Russian media.

"The SBU is clearing out the details of Simonenko’s stay at a plenary session of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation," she said. "As part of criminal proceedings, we’re are scrutinizing his public statements and comments to the Russian TV channels, including the statement he made to Rossiya’24 channel on March 28."

She explained the SBU was examining the presence of a criminal offence against the foundations of Ukraine’s national security in Simonenko’s words.