Ukraine’s National Guard member Markiv convicted in Italy turns 30 today
"Happy birthday, Vitaliy Markiv! Our hero, our defender, entire Ukraine is waiting for you to come home! We wish you speedy return!" the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine posted on Facebook.
As reported, on July 12, a court in the Italian town of Pavia delivered a judgment in the case of Ukraine’s National Guard member Vitaliy Markiv, sentencing him to 24 years in prison.
Vitaliy Markiv has been staying behind the bars since June 30, 2017, when he was arrested at the Bologna Airport. Markiv was charged with the involvement in the murder of Italian photographer Andrea Rocchelli and his Russian interpreter Andrei Mironov. They died as a result of a mortar shelling at the foot of the Karachun Mountain near Slovyansk town on May 24, 2014. At that time, the territory in Donetsk region was controlled by the militants.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov called the ruling of Italian court “unjust and shameful”, noting that the appeal would be filed.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine to urgently solve the issue of returning Markiv to the homeland.
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