The President of Ukraine Volodimir Zelensky aims to seek the way for the return of Ukrainian political prisoners that are kept on the territory of Russia and Crimea after the Completion of the Covid-19 pandemic, the press office of the President reports.
“Nowadays we are negotiating with the Russian Federation on the possible exchange after the pandemic of the COVID-19, about the return of our political prisoners who stay on the territory of Russia or in some prisons of Crimea” – cites Zelensky’s press office. He underlined that as a result of the previous three rounds of the return, Ukraine managed to bring 130 citizens back. In particular, they are political prisoners and sailors captured by the Russian FSB in the area of Kerch channel. 76 people returned after the Normandy Format Leaders’ Meeting that was held in December 2019 in Paris.
We recall that, according to Ludmila Denisova, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, there are 113 or 115 citizens of Ukraine imprisoned in Russia. There are 86 Crimean political prisoners on the list of the Crimean Tatar Resource Centre. The same figures can be found according to the Crimean Human Rights Group.
