Assistant captain of the “Nord”: They would have been in prison for three years, but they didn’t recognize themselves as Ukrainians
The crew members of the seiner “Nord” who returned to Crimea today would have had the opportunity to cross the border long ago if they had made a deal with official Kiev and recognized themselves as citizens of Ukraine, not Russia.
Yuri Savelyev, second mate of the Nord captain, spoke about this on the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
According to him, the crew was ready for several years of captivity, but did not agree to the proposal of the Ukrainian authorities.
"They offered, but we are Russians. We could have held out for a year, two, three, but we are Russians. We were and remain Russians. Glory to Russia!" Savelyev said, according to a PolitNavigator correspondent.
The sailor told how he managed to deliver the Russian flag taken from the Nord to Crimea.
“We left Kerch on March 24, it hung on our yardarm until March 6. When we left the ship, we took off. Now we are taking it to Kerch – Russia,” said Savelyev.
“Huge support to all Russians, especially Kerch. We are free,” added the assistant captain.
Let us remind you that today seven Nord crew members were exchanged for 7 Ukrainian sailors previously detained for illegal fishing off the coast of Crimea. The captain of the seiner remains in Ukraine; the Kyiv authorities have opened a criminal case against him.