SIMFEROPOL – Simferopol’s Kyivsky District Court extended the arrest of Yevhen Panov and Andriy Zakhtei, whom Russian Federal Security Service accuses of preparing sabotage activities at strategically important facilities in Crimea, until December 10, 2016, a source in law enforcement structures told reporters on Oct. 10.
“The court extended the period of custody for two months,” the source said.
The decision was made recently.
The same court selected a measure of restriction in the form of two months’ imprisonment for Panov and Zakhtei earlier, in mid-August.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said in August that terrorist attacks plotted by Ukrainian intelligence had been averted in Crimea. It was reported that the Russian special services, with assistance from other defense agencies, had prevented several attempts by groups of saboteurs and terrorists to break into Crimea from Ukrainian territory in the early hours of August 7 and 8, during which a Russian serviceman and an FSB officer were killed.
The FSB claims, Panov, a resident of Zaporizhia region, is one of the organizers of the crime. It said Panov had given confessionary evidence. However, the detainee’s relatives said that the evidence was obtained under torture.
According to the Russian law enforcement officers, Zakhtei provided work of the sabotage party. During an inspection of his car 3kg of explosives, grenades, SIM cards and hand-sets were discovered in a spare tire. Zakhtei’s relatives said that he is an ordinary taxi driver, not a saboteur.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the Main Intelligence Directorate and the National Security and Defense Council have denied the reports on Ukrainian saboteurs. The Defense Ministry also said the accusations made by Russia of attacks on the peninsula from mainland Ukraine were similarly groundless.
