You're reading: ECHR sends inquiry to Russia concerning Ukrainian pilot Savchenko case

The European Court of Human Rights on July 15 started proceedings in the Ukrainian military pilot Nadia Savchenko's case vs Russia, granting it priority status, Ukrainian defense lawyer Valentyna Telychenko said on Facebook.

“The court president also forwarded questions to the Russian
government as to how and on what grounds Nadia Savchenko appeared at a
Russian detention facility and why she has still not had the opportunity
to meet with a Ukrainian consul. The court obliged the Russian
government to inform it about the conditions in which the Ukrainian
pilot is being held,” Telychenko said.

It was reported earlier that Savchenko, a 31-year-old navigator, was
fighting with the Aidar volunteer battalion in eastern Ukraine when she
was captured by illegal armed units in June near the town of Schastia, a
suburb of Luhansk.

It was reported on July 8 that Savchenko was being held at a
detention facility in Voronezh. The Russian Investigative Committee
claimed that Savchenko had crossed the border without documents under
the guise of a refugee and was detained later for identification, after
which it turned out that she was suspected of playing some role in the
killing of Russian TV journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin near
Luhansk. On July 9, Russia indicted her for complicity in murder.

The Voronezh Regional Court ruled soon afterwards that she will remain in pretrial custody at least until Aug. 30.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has instructed the Prosecutor
General’s Office and the Security Service to look into the circumstances
of Savchenko’s transfer to Russian territory. Poroshenko also
instructed the Foreign Ministry and other government agencies to take
every possible measure to secure the Ukrainian pilot’s unconditional
release by Russia and her return home.

The Ukrainian presidential press service reported on July 14 that
Russian presidential chief of staff Sergei Ivanov had promised to
arrange a Ukrainian consul’s access to Savchenko. However, the consul
has still not been able to meet with the pilot.