Ukraine calls on Sajdik to pay more attention to release of Kremlin’s Ukrainian political prisoners

05.04.2019 10:26

Ukrinform

Ukraine has called on Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on the implementation of the peace plan in eastern Ukraine, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, to pay more attention to the issue on the release of Ukrainian political prisoners illegally convicted in Russia.

Ambassador Ihor Prokopchuk, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna, stated this during a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on April 4, own Ukrinform correspondent reported.

"We urge to pay special attention and to ensure discussion within the TCG and its humanitarian working group in a trilateral format of the issue on the exchange of Ukrainian citizens illegally detained in Russia and Russian citizens convicted in Ukraine for committing serious crimes against the state and sovereignty," Prokopchuk said in his address to the OSCE Permanent Council.

The Ukrainian diplomat noted that there is an urgent need to change the negative tendency of many previous months regarding the constant increase in the number of Ukrainian citizens illegally held in Russia.

He also stressed that the Russian side continues to block access, including for the ICRC, to Ukrainian citizens who are illegally detained in Russian-occupied territories in Donbas.