The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry says it is working to establish contacts with Ukrainian citizens Mykola Karpiuk and Stanislav Klikh detained in Russia.
“The Foreign Ministry has made a statement regarding Karpiuk’s and Klikh’s fates. There have been over 20 such statements to gain access to them, but the Russian side is avoiding the provision of any contacts with our citizens to us on different pretexts,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Special Ambassador Dmytro Kuleba said at a news briefing in Kyiv on May 19.
He described this as a violation of international law.
In contacts with their international counterparts, Ukrainian diplomats have tried to discuss stronger pressure on Russia to resolve the problem of these two individuals, Kuleba said.
He said he was sure that, sooner or later, Karpiuk and Klikh will return home.
Karpiuk was detained by Russia on March 21, 2014 and Klikh on Aug. 11, 2014. Both remain in custody. They have not been allowed a meeting with the Ukrainian consul.
