Russian lawyer Ilya Novikov joins the defense of the fifth President of Ukraine, leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko in a number of criminal cases opened against him, the party’s official website said on Oct. 4.
“This decision was made after it became known that the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) intended to apply for legal assistance … to the aggressor country, in particular, in criminal proceedings on the passage of Ukrainian warships in the Kerch Strait in November 2018. As you know, these proceedings were launched at the request of former deputy head of the Yanukovych Administration Andriy Portnov. In this situation, attracting a Russian lawyer is absolutely advisable,” the message said.
The European Solidarity noted that Novikov has permission to practice law in Ukraine. In addition, in the Russian courts he defended and defends Ukrainian citizens held in the Russian Federation and in the occupied territories. “In particular, last month he was the lawyer of our sailors,” it says.
