
Russia’s Prosecutor’s Office continues to assert that along with the occupied territories, the country appropriated Ukrainian citizens.In its response to the inquiry of Agnieszka Kozłowska-Rajewicz, the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation noted that residents of the Republic of Crimea are now considered to be citizens of Russia and have now obtained all relevant rights, if they failed to express their desire to retain another state’s nationality within the period prescribed by the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on the inclusion of the Republic of Crimea in the Russian Federation and the establishment of new federal subjects within the Russian Federation.
“Of the above-mentioned persons, such a statement was filed only by defendant A.V. Chirnyi, who, as a citizen of Ukraine, has been provided by the investigative body with an opportunity to exercise his right to consular protection. The accused O.G. Sentsov, A.A. Kolchenko and G.S. Afanasyev have not filed any such statement, and therefore, in accordance with Russian law, they are considered to be Russian citizens”, – the letter stated.
In the letter, the prosecutor’s officealso argues thatthe illegaldetentions and criminal prosecutions of the Ukrainianactivists,unjustified adoptions of a form of restraint as regards their incarceration, as well as the use of violence by the Russian FSB workers have not been confirmed, and, therefore, “there is no basis to take the measure of prosecutorial response”.