Latest news with #Lubinets
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ukrainian abducted in Russian-occupied Crimea; Ukraine's ombudsman appeals to Moscow
A Ukrainian citizen disappeared in Russian-occupied Crimea earlier in May after being detained by people who presented themselves as Federal Security Service (FSB) officers, Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on May 29. Serhii Hrishchenkov was taken in Sevastopol overnight on May 7, and his whereabouts are currently unknown, said Lubinets, who received an appeal from the man's daughter. Lubinets added that he had appealed to his Russian counterpart, Tatyana Moskalkova, regarding the case. At the time of publication, the Russian ombudsman's office had not issued a public reaction. The Ukrainian ombudsman stressed that Hrishchenkov's disappearance is "not an isolated case," with other people being kidnapped by alleged FSB officers. "This case of a Ukrainian citizen once again demonstrates the inability of the occupation authorities to ensure the implementation of international civil and political rights for residents of occupied Crimea," Lubinets said in a statement on Telegram. "Cynicism and human rights violations have become commonplace for thousands of Ukrainian citizens!" Russian occupation of Crimea, ongoing since 2014, has been accompanied by a harsh crackdown on civil and political rights and persecution of Ukrainian activists, Crimean Tatars, and others. Read also: How much does a Russian drone attack on Ukraine cost? The question is more complicated than it sounds We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russian FSB kidnaps Ukrainian in occupied Crimea
Ukrainian citizen Serhii Hrishchenkov has disappeared in the temporarily occupied city of Sevastopol (Crimea). He was detained and taken away in an unknown direction by people who identified themselves as Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers. Source: Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliamentary Human Rights Commissioner Details: Lubinets said that he was contacted by Hrishchenkov's daughter. The detention took place on the night of 6-7 May, and there is still no information about Hrishchenkov's fate or whereabouts. Quote: "These are not isolated cases on the territory of the temporarily occupied peninsula, where people are basically being kidnapped by unknown individuals posing as employees of the Russian Federal Security Service." Serhii Hrishchenkov. Photo: Lubinets Details: Lubinets stressed that such actions are a gross violation of international law, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights: Articles 9.2, 9.4 and 14.2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Articles 5.2 and 5.3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. These documents guarantee detainees and their families the right to receive information about the grounds for detention, their legal status and place of detention. Dmytro Lubinets has already appealed to Tatyana Moskalkova, Human Rights Commissioner of the Russian Federation, demanding that she provide objective information about Hrishchenko's status and whereabouts. Quote: "This case involving a Ukrainian citizen once again demonstrates the inability of the occupation administration to ensure the implementation of international civil and political rights for residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea. Cynicism and human rights violations have become commonplace for thousands of Ukrainian citizens!" Background: On 18 May, the Mejlis (parliament) of the Crimean Tatar People stated that Russia's current policy in occupied Crimea is a direct continuation of Soviet genocidal practices. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Al Jazeera
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Ukraine opens probe into Russia's alleged killing of four prisoners of war
Ukraine has opened a war crime investigation into the alleged killing of four soldiers captured by Russian forces, according to the Ukrainian parliament's human rights commissioner. Dmytro Lubinets wrote on X on Thursday that the four prisoners of war had no weapons as they walked out of a destroyed building with 'their hands raised'. 'They were shot dead on the spot. This is a clear violation of the Geneva Convention and a grave war crime,' he added. The alleged killing of the soldiers is believed to have occurred on March 13 in the southern Ukrainian village of Piatykhatky, according to The Associated Press news agency, which verified drone footage of the troops. The Ukrainian drone video taken by the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, which was obtained from European military officials on condition of anonymity, shows soldiers with Russian uniform markings raising their weapons and shooting each of the four Ukrainians in the back. In the Russian drone video, which the AP located on pro-Kremlin social media, the footage cuts off abruptly with the alleged soldiers lying on the ground alive. The footage came just before Russian troops had planted their flag in Piatykhatky in the Zaporizhia region as Russia sought to take more land ahead of peace talks. It also took place as European officials told the AP that representatives from the United States landed in Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin. Lubinets wrote on Telegram that he would report the case of the alleged killings of his troops to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations, for investigation. 'These organisations must record the crime. I emphasise that such shootings are not an isolated case, but a systemic policy of the Russian Federation, which is encouraged at the highest level!' he wrote. 'Therefore, it is necessary not only to document such cases, but to thoroughly investigate them and bring the criminals to justice,' Lubinets added. He also called for Ukrainians who have witnessed any human rights violations by Russian forces to report them to the police.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine brings back 45 more citizens from temporarily occupied territories, Russia and Belarus
Ukraine has brought back 45 more citizens from the temporarily occupied territories, as well as the territories of Russia and Belarus. Source: Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets on Telegram Quote: "Thanks to the coordinated work of the Ombudsman's Office of Ukraine, government agencies, humanitarian organisations and international partners, we managed to ensure the safe return of 45 Ukrainian citizens from the temporarily occupied territories, as well as from the territories of Russia and Belarus." Details: Among the evacuees were people who needed special conditions for safe movement: people with limited mobility and seriously ill citizens. They were physically unable to leave the temporarily occupied territories on their own. A total of 10 people needed urgent treatment and had severe chronic illnesses; evacuation was organised for 23 people with the use of specialised transport and medical support. The overwhelming majority of those who returned were elderly. The oldest citizen is 93 years old. In addition, among the returned citizens are Ukrainians who needed legal support and accompaniment, as they had lost their personal documents and were unable to cross the border on their own. Lubinets noted that some of the returned Ukrainians were persecuted by the Russian administrations. In particular, a family whose father was abducted by the Russians and tortured, resulting in his Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Al Jazeera
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia convicts captured Ukrainians on ‘terrorism' charges
A court in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don has convicted 23 Ukrainians on 'terrorism' charges in a trial that Kyiv has denounced as a sham and a violation of international law. The defendants include 12 captured members of Ukraine's elite Azov Brigade, which led the defence of the city of Mariupol in the early months of Russia's war. The prisoners were found guilty on Wednesday on charges of trying to stage a violent coup and organising activities for a 'terrorist' organisation. Some also faced charges of overseeing illegal military drills as part of the ongoing war in Ukraine. They were given sentences ranging from 13 to 23 years in prison, to be served in penal colonies with the harshest regimes, the Prosecutor-General's Office said. Independent news outlet Mediazona said that besides the 12 Avoz members, 11 other people whom Russia had already returned to Ukraine in prisoner exchanges were sentenced in absentia. They included nine women who had worked as army cooks. Mediazona said the Azov members would appeal the verdicts and that some of them had denied wrongdoing or had said that testimony they had given had been obtained under duress. Wednesday's verdict comes a day after Russia and Ukraine agreed to halt military strikes on vessels in the Black Sea with a view to ushering in a broader ceasefire that would bring an end to the three-year Russia-Ukraine war. Memorial, a prominent Russian rights group that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, has designated the Ukrainian defendants as political prisoners. According to Memorial, some of them were captured in 2022 during fighting in Mariupol, where they held out at the Azovstal steel mill, besieged by Russian troops. Others were detained as they tried to leave the city after it was overrun by Russian forces, the group said. The Ukrainian parliament's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, denounced the proceedings when they began in June 2023 as 'another sham trial' held for Russia's 'own amusement'. 'Russia and fair justice have nothing in common. The world must respond to such shameful sham trials of Ukrainian defenders,' Lubinets said. He added: 'It is obvious to everyone that those who should be in the dock are not those defending themselves but those who initiated the aggression, those who invaded foreign land with weapons and those who arrived with tanks on the territory of an independent state.' The Azov Brigade is banned inside Russia and is characterised by Moscow as a fanatical grouping of Russia-hating neo-Nazis. Ukraine rejects Russia's description of Azov as a 'terrorist' organisation. The regiment was founded by a hardline nationalist, Andriy Biletskiy, but subsequently dissociated itself from his politics. From 2014, it was folded into Ukraine's National Guard. For many Ukrainians, Azov fighters are heroes who came to symbolise the spirit of national resistance, clinging on in the devastated ruins of Mariupol as Russia besieged the port city between February and May 2022.
