Thirty-three-year-old Rafael Lusvarghi, a Brazilian citizen previously accused of fighting against Ukrainian forces, will be arrested for 60 days until July 5th, a Ukrainian court ruled on May 8.
Lusvarghi took part in the fighting in the Donetsk region from September 2014 to May 2015 on the side of Russian-led forces.
That autumn he left the Donbass, and a year after, on October 6, 2016, Lusvarghi was detained in Borispol airport by officers of the national security service of Ukraine, the SBU.
A few months later, in January 2017, Lusvarghi was sentenced to thirteen years in prison for “setting up a terrorist organization” and “creating illegal armed formations.”
The Brazilian pleaded guilty.
Half a year later, in August 2017, an appeal court heard Lusvarghi’s case again due to there having been significant violations of procedure by the first court. As a result, Lusvarghi was detained for another two months, and in December released under personal recognizance.
The initiator of changes in preventive measures was prosecutor Igor Vovk, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
“It was planned to exchange him with the prisoners from the Russian side, in connection with which the preventive measure against (Lusvarghi) had to be changed,” said Vovk.
Once he was free, Lusvarghi lived in Svyato-Pokrovskyy Holosiyivskyy monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This information was received by journalists RFE/RL from a source with knowledge of his case who asked not to be identified.
On May 4th, after media reported that Lusvarghi was living in the monastery, members of the nationalist and far-right organizations National Corps, Traditions and Order and C14 brought him by force to the SBU.
Representatives of the church said that they had not been keeping Lusvarghi hidden in the monastery.
Moreover, “it is unlikely that the monks of this monastery clearly understood who this man was. He did not engage in any destructive activity in the monastery,” Ukrainian Orthodox Church Archbishop Clement said in an interview with BBC News Ukraine.
The next hearings of the Lusvarghi case will be on May 15. According to the judge, Lusvarghi’s arrest is necessary because there is a high risk of the suspect attempting to evade justice.
