The Russian authorities are trying to strip filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who was arrested in Crimea, of the Ukrainian defense in court by denying he has Ukrainian citizenship, according to the statement of Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
Despite the objections of Sentsov himself, the Russian authorities don’t recognize his Ukrainian citizenship and insist on him being Russian citizen, even though he didn’t agree to that, the ministry’s spokesman Yevhen Perebyinis said at a briefing in Kyiv on Oct. 1.
“Thus, Russia is trying to strip Sentsov of Ukrainian citizenship and leave him facing Russian justice alone,” Perebyinis said.
He also noted that Ukrainian Foreign Ministry looked at the judgment ruled by Lefortovsky District Court in Moscow on Sept. 29 regarding the term of Ukrainian citizen Sentsov’s imprisonment as a challenge to the whole civilized world. Sentsov’s term of imprisonment was prolonged until Jan. 11, 2015.
In addition, Perebyinis noted: “Since [the time of] illegal detainment of Sentsov and other Ukrainian citizens on Crimean territory by occupational authorities and their arrival to Moscow, Russian relevant agencies… failed to give permission for Ukrainian consul to visit detained Ukrainians.”
In relation to that, Perebyinis noted that Russia is violating international and bilateral conventions, according to which Russia must provide access for diplomats to detained Ukrainian nationals.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry strongly protests against the actions of the Russian authorities as “by using made-up accusations [the Russian authorities] are preparing a demonstrative reprisal against Ukrainians – Crimean citizens, who are not going to put up with the occupation.”
It was reported that on May 11 the Russian law enforcement authorities detained Sentsov in Crimea. His transfer to a Moscow detention facility was reported on May 19.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on May 30 that members of a Right Sector sabotage and terrorist cell – Sentsov, Gennady Afanasyev, Alexei Chirnigo, Alexander Kolchenko – were detained in Crimea on suspicion of plotting terrorist and sabotage attacks in a number of Crimean towns.
According to the information of the FSB, the detained individuals planned, “as part of a terrorist community, to carry out explosions with home-made devices on May 9, 2014 near the Eternal Flame memorial and Lenin monument in Simferopol and to set on fire to the offices of the Russian Community of Crimea public organization and the United Russia party branch in Simferopol on April 14 and April 18, 2014.”
On June 3, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry handed a note to the Russian envoy demanding that a meeting be organized for them with Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov.
