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| Putin issues ‘humanitarian’ pardons for 2 Ukrainians held on terror charges – Kremlin | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Russian President Vladimir Putin has pardoned two Ukrainian citizens Yury Soloshenko and Gennady Afanasyev, detained on terrorism and espionage charges in Russia, out of humanitarian considerations, the Kremlin said in a statement. | |
| Putin’s decrees on the pardons enter into force upon signing, the statement said. | |
| Earlier on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tweeted: “At last! Yury Soloshenko and Gennady Afanasyev are already aboard a Ukrainian plane, heading from Moscow to Ukraine.” | |
| Meanwhile, a Russian plane has also taken off from the capital in the direction of Ukraine. | Meanwhile, a Russian plane has also taken off from the capital in the direction of Ukraine. |
| According to an Interfax source, it is expected to pick up the Russian citizens sentenced in Ukraine, who will be swapped for Soloshenko and Afanasyev. | According to an Interfax source, it is expected to pick up the Russian citizens sentenced in Ukraine, who will be swapped for Soloshenko and Afanasyev. |
| Flightradar data confirms that the same aircraft which brought Evgeny Erofeeyev and Aleksandr Aleksandrov home from Ukraine on May 25 departed from Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on Tuesday afternoon. | Flightradar data confirms that the same aircraft which brought Evgeny Erofeeyev and Aleksandr Aleksandrov home from Ukraine on May 25 departed from Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on Tuesday afternoon. |
| Reports that Russia will release Yury Soloshenko and Gennady Afanasyev, who were detained on terrorism and espionage charges, emerged in Ukrainian media on Tuesday. | Reports that Russia will release Yury Soloshenko and Gennady Afanasyev, who were detained on terrorism and espionage charges, emerged in Ukrainian media on Tuesday. |
| Soloshenko, 73, was arrested by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in August 2014 when the conflict in Eastern Ukraine broke out. According to TASS, he tried to smuggle components of the S-300 Russian missile system out of the country. | Soloshenko, 73, was arrested by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in August 2014 when the conflict in Eastern Ukraine broke out. According to TASS, he tried to smuggle components of the S-300 Russian missile system out of the country. |
| Now a pensioner, Soloshenko was the director of Znamya factory in Ukraine, which produced components for missile systems until his retirement in 2010. He was sentenced by a Moscow court to six years in a strict penal colony on espionage charges in October 2015. Soloshenko admitted his guilt. His lawyer then said that Soloshenko had a chance to be extradited to Ukraine. | Now a pensioner, Soloshenko was the director of Znamya factory in Ukraine, which produced components for missile systems until his retirement in 2010. He was sentenced by a Moscow court to six years in a strict penal colony on espionage charges in October 2015. Soloshenko admitted his guilt. His lawyer then said that Soloshenko had a chance to be extradited to Ukraine. |
| Afanasyev, 25, was arrested in Crimea’s capital of Simferopol on suspicion of being a member of a terrorist organization affiliated with the Praviy Sektor (Right Sector) far-right group. He admitted his guilt and said he was ready to cooperate. The FSB then said that the group was plotting terror attacks in the Crimean peninsula. Crimea rejoined Russia in March 2014. | Afanasyev, 25, was arrested in Crimea’s capital of Simferopol on suspicion of being a member of a terrorist organization affiliated with the Praviy Sektor (Right Sector) far-right group. He admitted his guilt and said he was ready to cooperate. The FSB then said that the group was plotting terror attacks in the Crimean peninsula. Crimea rejoined Russia in March 2014. |
| In December 2014, Afanasyev was sentenced by a court in Moscow to seven years in jail for preparing attacks in Crimea. | In December 2014, Afanasyev was sentenced by a court in Moscow to seven years in jail for preparing attacks in Crimea. |
| It is not yet clear who of the Russian detainees in Ukraine will be swapped for Soloshenko and Afanasyev. According to Ukrainian media sources, these people could be those arrested during the tragic events in Odessa in May 2014. | It is not yet clear who of the Russian detainees in Ukraine will be swapped for Soloshenko and Afanasyev. According to Ukrainian media sources, these people could be those arrested during the tragic events in Odessa in May 2014. |
| READ MORE: 2 yrs after Odessa killings: Bomb scare, fire at will order, EU still calling for transparent probe | READ MORE: 2 yrs after Odessa killings: Bomb scare, fire at will order, EU still calling for transparent probe |
| In May, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced that Kiev was negotiating with Moscow about the release of Soloshenko and Afanasyev. | In May, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced that Kiev was negotiating with Moscow about the release of Soloshenko and Afanasyev. |
| The same month, Ukraine’s pilot Nadezhda Savchenko was pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin and swapped for two Russian citizens jailed in Ukraine on terrorism charges, which they had denied. | The same month, Ukraine’s pilot Nadezhda Savchenko was pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin and swapped for two Russian citizens jailed in Ukraine on terrorism charges, which they had denied. |
| Savchenko was found guilty of the murder of Russian journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin near Lugansk, Eastern Ukraine, and of illegally crossing the Russian border. | Savchenko was found guilty of the murder of Russian journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin near Lugansk, Eastern Ukraine, and of illegally crossing the Russian border. |