You're reading: Russian extends investigation against Yarosh

Moscow - The Russian Investigative Committee has extended an investigation against Dmytro Yarosh, a leader of the Ukrainian radical organization Right Sector, accused in Russia of public calls for terrorist and extremist activities, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told Interfax on Wednesday, May 7.

“Within the framework of the criminal case, a restrictive measure in the form of pretrial detention has been chosen in relation to Yarosh in absentia, and he has been declared internationally wanted. The deadline for investigating the case has been extended to July 3, 2014,” Markin said.

The investigation has found out that Yarosh has been “publicly inciting anti-Russian forces to extremist actions and terror on Russian territory,” he said.

The Investigative Committee department for the North Caucasus Federal District has also opened a criminal case against a number of Ukrainian citizens belonging to the organization known as Ukrainian National Assembly-Ukrainian National Self-Defense (UNA-UNSO), i.e. Ihor Mazur, Valery Bobrovych, Dmytro Korchynsky, Andriy Tiahnybok, Oleh Tiahnybok, Dmytro Yarosh, Volodymyr Mamalyha and others, Markin said. “Depending on everyone’s role, they are suspected of committing crimes covered by Russian Criminal Code Article 209 Part 1 and Part 2 (the establishment of a regular armed group (gang) for attacking citizens, the leadership of such a group (gang), and participation in attacks committed by it),” he said.

In probing a criminal case concerning an armed clash between illegal armed groups led by Shamil Basayev and Khattab and servicemen from the Airborne Forces’ 76th Pskov Division in the territory of the Chechen Republic, investigators obtained information on the establishment of a gang composed of UNA-UNSO members and their involvement in fighting against federal forces on the side of Chechen separatists in 1994-1995, he said.

“Mazur, Bobrovych, Korchynsky and others were leaders of the gang set up for this purpose, and it also included the Tiahnybok brothers, Yarosh, Mamalyha, and other unidentified individuals,” he said.

“A decision has been made now on combining these two criminal cases into one proceeding. The investigation has been assigned to the Investigative Committee department for the North Caucasus Federal District,” Markin said.