The story of brave Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, who’s been jailed in pre-trial detention center in the Russian city of Voronezh after prosecutors accused her of being involved in the murder of two Russian journalists, has seen another dramatic twist.
Savchenko was scheduled to be transferred to Moscow where she is set to undergo psychiatric examination, Ihor Markin, spokesman of Russian Investigative Committee told Interfax new agency on Sept. 24.
“This is a standard procedure and mandatory requirement of Russian criminal proceedings legislation (Article 196 of the Russian Criminal Proceedings Code) in cases where a person is charged with a very serious crime,’ Markin was quoted as saying. Savchenko’s lawyer Mark Feygin told the Kyiv Post that she was transferred from Voronezh on Sept.22. He, however, said he is not aware where she is now and is still trying to find her.
Savchenko volunteered to join the Aydar Batallion to fight Kremlin-backed insurgents in June. She was then captured by separatists and taken to the Voronezh pre-trial detention center. Savchenko is accused of being involved in the murder of two Russian jounalists, Ihor Korneliuk and Anton Voloshyn, killed near Luhansk in June. She denies the accusations.
The Voronezh Court ordered in August to keep her under arrest until Oct. 30. On Sept.15, Savchenko’s lawyer Mark Feygin asked the judge to release her on bail at $26,000 but it was rejected.
On Sept. 14, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna party put Savchenko as the No. 1 candidate on its list for snap parliamentary elections scheduled for Oct. 26. But even if Savchenko makes it to the parliament, it won’t help to solve her case, Feygin said.
“This can’t be the reason to release her,” Feygin said. “While it can help to put some pressure on Russian investigators, it won’t help her from a legal perspective,” he said.
Kyiv Post staff writer Anastasia Forina can be reached at [email protected]
