Dear Prime Minister,

As you know, several months ago Ukrainian citizens were kidnapped by Russian terrorists in the occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and in Eastern Ukraine, illegally transferred to Russia and then detained there on fabricated charges.

The kidnapping and detention of Oleg Sentsov - a well known Ukrainian filmmaker, and Nadia Savchenko - a Ukrainian military pilot, are the most striking examples, along with the cases against Oleksiy Cherniy, Hennadiy Afnasyev, Oleksandr Kolchenko, and Yuri Yatsenko, of systematic violation of human rights and freedoms by the Russian Federation.

We want to stress that the charges against Ukrainian citizens are political in nature, the Russian investigating authorities are biased and there is no objective evidence with which to charge the Ukrainian detainees.

We are convinced that the kidnapping of the Ukrainian citizens, their illegal transfer across the Ukrainian-Russian state border, their further placement in detention to face spurious charges is nothing more than blatant violation of universal norms and principles of international law in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Their criminal prosecution is illegitimate.

Such actions of the Russian Federation violate the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the International Convention against the taking of hostages, as well as Russia’s obligations within the framework of the OSCE and the UN, and the Consular Convention between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

The Ukrainian community of Great Britain accentuates the illegal nature of the detention of the Ukrainian citizens in Russia and urges you, Mr. Prime Minister, and HM Government of UK to exert, without delay, all legal and diplomatic efforts for their immediate release.

Yours sincerely,

Ukrainians of Great Britain

Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain

London EuroMaidan