Ukraine extradites a native of Ingushetia at Russia's request
At the request of Russia’s FSB (Federal Security Service), the Prosecutor General Office of Ukraine made a decision to extradite to Russia Timur Tumgoev, a native of Ingushetia, accused by Russian authorities of participating in military operations in Syria on the side of the Islamic State terrorist.
The fact that the decree on extradition was signed by Yevhen Yenin, the Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine, was reported by the publication Kavkaz. Realii. In a conversation with the Ukrainian media, he clarified that Tumgoev was taken to the border on September 12 and handed over to employees of Russian law enforcement agencies.
This information was later confirmed by Andriy Lysenko, the press-secretary of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine.
Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said that despite the annexation of the Crimea and Russia’s aggressive actions in the territory of Ukraine, Kyiv “continues to occupy the position of a civilized law-abiding country and observes the laws of the world, including those concerning the extradition of offenders”. Ihor Lutsenko, the Verkhovna Rada Deputy, wrote about this on his Facebook page, criticizing the decision of the Prosecutor General’s Office. He claimed that the Russian authorities are pursuing Tumgoev not because of his activities in Syria but because he fought against the Russian forces in Chechnya in the 1990s.
Timur Tumgoev, who was on the international wanted list, was detained by Ukrainian border guards in June 2016 at Kharkiv Airport, where he arrived from Turkey. In November of the same year, Ukrainian authorities made a decision to extradite Tumgoev to Russia. The European Court of Human Rights twice refused Tumgoev’s lawyers to suspend extradition.
Tumgoev himself appealed to the migration service of Ukraine with a request for asylum. He denied fighting in Syria on the side of the Islamic State. It was also reported that even during his detention, he told the officers Security Service of Ukraine about his intention to join the Ukrainian volunteer units to fight against the pro-Russian separatists in the east of Ukraine.