Balukh driven away from Simferopol's detention center - human rights activists

"Political prisoner Volodymyr Balukh has been driven away from Simferopol's detention center. This news emerged today, on February 18, 2019, after his wife, Natalia Balukh, again tried to pass a parcel for the Ukrainian to the detention center. Natalia was not told where Balukh had been driven away," the report said.

The lawyer for the Ukrainian activist is finding out the whereabouts of his client, as well as the cause of the transfer.

The Federal Security Service of Russia detained Balukh on December 8, 2016. The FSB officers claimed that they had found 90 cartridges and several TNT blocks in the attic of his house. Balukh's defense team and human rights defenders say that he is a victim of repression for his pro-Ukrainian position – Ukraine's flag in the courtyard of his home.

A Kremlin-controlled court in Crimea sentenced Balukh to four years and 11 months in prison and imposed a fine of RUB 10,000 (about UAH 4,000) on him.

On October 18, 2018, Balukh was taken to Kerch Penal Colony No. 2.

On January 25, 2019, the Russian-controlled Kerch city court refused to grant parole to Balukh.

The Memorial Human Rights Center recognized Balukh as a political prisoner.