Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has released a video biography of Nadiya Savchenko, the female senior lieutenant of the Air Force who was captured by Russian-backed separatists in Luhansk Oblast on June 17 and is currently being held in Voronezh prison.
The country’s top diplomatic office published the video telling her story in five languages – English, German, French, Spanish and Ukrainian. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Igor Kolomoisky’s 1+1 television station provided technical assistance in the making of the video.
The international community has become more aware in recent days of Savchenko’s case, with stories running in some of the world’s leading media, while Wikipedia, the global web-based encyclopedia, has added an entry about Savchenko. Moreover, Congressman Chris Gibson filed an official record with the U.S. congress on Aug. 3.
Russia has accused Savchenko of participating in the murder of Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine. Attorneys Mark Feygin, known for providing legal services for the anti-Putin punk rock band Pussy Riot, and Ilya Novikov represent Savchenko’s interests in court.
Russian statements say Savchenko illegally crossed the border into the Russian Federation, while she claims she was kidnapped.
On July 25, the Voronezh court ordered to detain Savchenko until Aug. 30, despite her attorneys’ attempts to persuade the judge to release the Ukrainian officer on 500,000 rubles bail. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry declared Nadiya a political prisoner.
Savchenko’s sister, Vira, is actively involved in the movement to return the officer to Ukraine. On July 19, she published Savchenko’s six-page letter to the Ukrainian people on her Facebook page (see here and here).
“Now there are too many tricks on the geopolitical (stage). I would really be against becoming a political toy,” Nadiya wrote in the letter. “I believe Ukraine will be able to amaze the world.”
“I’m reading books, 500 pages a day. I’ve never thought I’d able to do this. Overall, I don’t like reading too much,” she said about her life in Russian prison.
Kyiv Post associate business editor Ivan Verstyuk can be reached at [email protected].
