A Moscow city court on Jan. 15-16 extended until April 24 the detention of all 24 Ukrainian navy servicemen captured by Russia’s coast guard and special forces in international waters of the Black Sea in late November.
The court hearing was conducted behind closed doors. Lawyers of Ukrainian sailors requested an open trial, but were denied because Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB said “sensitive information” might be disclosed at the hearing.
The Ukrainian sailors were sent into court in groups of four, in three different courtrooms, presided over by judges Albina Galimova, Elena Kanaeva and Sergey Ryabtsev, according to Ukrainian news agency UNIAN.
All three judges ruled to keep Ukrainian sailors in custody until April 24, and all refused to transfer the cases to a military court, thus not acknowledging that the sailors are prisoners of war, as they themselves insist.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ukrainian sailors refused to testify, stating only their full names and dates of birth.
Russian Coast Guard ships on Nov. 25 attacked and then seized three Ukrainian navy vessels as the they tried to cross the Kerch Strait connecting the Black and Azov Seas. The three boats and their 24 Ukrainian crew members were taken to the port of Kerch in Russian-occupied Crimea, then later transferred to Moscow’s Lefortovo prison. Six of the sailors were injured – three seriously.
The captured Ukrainian sailors were charged for “trespassing” as civilians, with the maximum sentence, if they are found guilty, being six years.
The international community, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, has demanded that Russia release the captured Ukrainian soldiers.
In addition, U.S. President Donald Trump canceled a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled to take place on Nov. 30 during the G20 summit in Buenos-Areas, Argentina. The White House said Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in the Black Sea was the main reason for canceling the meeting between the two leaders.
