Lawyer representing detained Russian Special Forces member flees Ukraine
Yuri Grabowski, the lawyer who had represented a member of the Special Forces of the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate, Alexander Alexandrov, has allegedly left Ukraine among security fears. Alexandrov is currently detained in Donbas. “I am sorry that I have let you down my friends, I do not know when I will come back. I will communicate with you wherever possible but I really want to go back to my homeland,” Grabowski posted on his Facebook page. The Egyptian resort, Sharm el-Sheikh, was set in the geo tag on the post.
Oksana Sokolovskaya, a lawyer who represented Evgeny Erofeev, another Russian detained in Ukraine, has stated that such behavior is unusual for Grabowski. Sokolovskaya said that if he does not show up to work within the next 24 hours, he will be regarded as missing. She also mentioned that Grabowski is not answering his phone.
One of the prosecutors, Alexander Klimovich, had stated that no explanation had been received from Grabowski on why he did not appear at the most recent hearing.
The Odessa police has reported that a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (willful killing) was initiated in connection with the disappearance of Grabowski, who is now considered missing. His close friends had reported him as such to the Odessa police.
“The last place where Yuri was seen was Odessa. He was on there on Saturday and was staying at the Arcadia Hotel. His belongings are still in his hotel room and his car was transported to Kiev,” the statement said. The hearing in the Goloseevsky District Court in Kiev, relating to the case of the Russian members of Special Forces, was adjourned for the third time on the 9th of March due to the non-appearance of Grabowski.
Erofeev and Alexandrov were captured on the 16th of May 2015 near Shchastya in the Lugansk region. The Russian Ministry of Defense still refuses to recognize their claims that they were on active duty at the time of their arrival in Ukraine. The officers said that they were captured while engaging in military action.
The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine previously reported that the servicemen were accused of offenses under Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 437 (waging a war of aggression by a group of people by prior conspiracy), Part 2 of Article 201 (arms smuggling committed by a group of people by prior conspiracy), Part 2 of Article 332-1 (the violation of the entry procedure to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine committed by a group of people by prior conspiracy), Part 2 of Article 263 (unlawful handling of weapons), Part 1 of Article 258-3 (assisting with the activities of a terrorist organization), and Part 2 of Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (a terrorist act that has caused the death of a person).
Both members of the Special Forces have denied the accusations of terrorism and insisted on a re-qualification of the accusations. Erofeev has insisted on a re-qualification of his accusation for espionage, while Alexandrov has insisted on one for his alleged illegal crossing of the state border for intelligence collection.
According to the defendants, they are both unemployed. Erofeev and Alexandrov have also requested not to add videos, where they admit that they are Russian servicemen, to their case files. They claim that they gave such evidence when they were in hospital and under the influence of medication.
Erofeev has also claimed that he only admitted to being part of the Russian Armed Forces as he was being subjected to torture. Erofeev and Alexandrov have both twice filed lawsuits with the Supreme Administrative Court with a claim to recognize them as prisoners of war. However, these lawsuits were not accepted for consideration on both occasions.