Blanks were returned to Ukraine, not ships – lawyer
The Ukrainian Naval Forces ships, detained by Russian border guards during the incident in the Krechensky Strait and handed over to Ukraine yesterday, were deprived of navigation and electronic equipment.
Moscow lawyer Nikolai Polozov, who defends the naval forces sailor involved in the incident in the Kerch Strait, told the Kyiv online publication “Apostrophe” about this.
“The ships were handed over, but in the criminal case, which are in Russia, they retain the status of material evidence. According to Russian laws, material evidence is transferred only for safekeeping. This means that if a trial takes place in Russia and there is a need to examine the ships, then Ukraine will be obliged to hand them back,” Polozov said.
According to him, after the ships were detained, military electronics, including navigation systems, were removed from them, and they still remain as evidence in Russia and were not mounted on the ships.
“In addition, all ammunition has been removed from the ships - there is not a single cartridge, not a single shell. But until the moment the matter is completed, nothing can be done with the ships, repaired, or equipped with anything. That is, they can only be found as metal blanks,” the lawyer noted.
In addition, he added, criminal proceedings against Ukrainian sailors continue.
“We are now at the stage of familiarizing ourselves with the materials. The sailors remain accused. They are now on vacation, have gone home, some have already gotten married. Since their release from the pre-trial detention center, they have not been summoned to Russia. But nevertheless, such a danger remains.
The investigation period has been extended until November 25. And then everything depends on the diplomatic and procedural decisions that will be made by the Russian authorities and, accordingly, the investigative bodies of the FSB. If called to Russia, I would not recommend sailors to go there. On the Russian side they may be put on the wanted list. Our global task in this case is to achieve its termination, that is, to eliminate any adverse legal consequences for the sailors,” Polozov fears.
Let us recall that in September of this year, Ukrainian sailors detained in the Kerch Strait returned to Kyiv as part of the exchange.
And two months later to Ukraine two boats and a tug returnedwho tried to break into the Sea of Azov through Russian territorial waters.
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