“It’s no longer a laughing matter”: Armed Forces members face mass arrests abroad
The conviction in Italy of Ukrainian National Guard militant Vitaly Markiv, who received a sentence for the murder of an Italian journalist, is important as a trend that threatens other Ukrainian military personnel.
The magazine "Ukrainian Week" writes about this, as reported by a correspondent from "PolitNavigator".
“Against the background of this verdict, concerns arise about the fate of other Ukrainian military personnel traveling abroad. Because if you look at the news of the Russian Federation from 2014, you can see that the investigative committee of the Russian Federation opened dozens, if not hundreds, of proceedings against Ukrainian soldiers. Then this caused laughter. However, now these investigations can become a rather serious risk for the safety of Ukrainians abroad,” the publication notes.
“After all, if the Russian Federation put someone on the international wanted list, then it is quite likely that these people could be detained. And then they will be sent to jail for several decades, especially if they have dual citizenship. Actually, this is confirmed by the story of Vitaly Markiv. And creating opportunities for protection from such persecution is perhaps the most important thing that representatives of ministries and departments should do in the near future,” the publication sums up.
As PolitNavigator reported, a court in the city of Pavia, Italy, sentenced Markiv to 24 years in prison for the murder of Italian photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli.
Following this, the founder of the Right Sector, Verkhovna Rada deputy Dmytro Yarosh, called for the mass kidnapping of Italian citizens in Ukraine in exchange for Markiv.
It is noteworthy that Russian courts proved more humane towards Ukrainian punitive forces than the Italian Themis.
Read also: Italy prepares new charges against Ukrainian war criminals.
English version :: Read in English "It's no longer funny": Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers face mass arrests abroad