Savchenko may be transferred to Ukraine by year-end – Feygin

The lawyers of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko predict that she may be transferred to Ukraine before the New Year.

“The Kremlin is trying to get the maximum dividends from Savchenko’s situation… I have a feeling, I think that she will be transferred home on December 31,” lawyer Mark Feygin said on the air of hromadske.tv Ukrainian news channel.

However, spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, said that it was too early to speak about transfer of Savchenko to Ukraine as it had been no court’s ruling yet.

Earlier, the Russia’s Justice Ministry reported that it would consider the issue of extradition of PACE delegate Savchenko to Ukraine after the verdict in her case was announced. However, Ukraine must accept the guilty verdict and provide guarantees of Savchenko’s punishment in Ukraine.

According to lawyer Nikolai Polozov, the sentence will be announced late this year or early next year.

“The verdict in the case of Nadiya Savchenko will be announced either late this year or early next year. We are confident it will be guilty verdict. I am sure that Nadiya Savchenko will then be transferred to the Ukrainian side within six months or less,” the lawyer of Nadia Savchenko said.

However, Nadiya Savchenko cannot be held criminally liable in Ukraine as she is member of the Ukrainian Parliament and the European Parliament and has the immunity pursuant to the law, the lawyer added.

The Justice Ministry of Ukraine responded to the statements of the Russian Justice Ministry, saying that the decision of the Russian court “is ready.”

“The Russia’s Justice Ministry has once again confirmed that Russia has pocket judicial system and courts. Such a statement, made before the verdict on Nadiya was pronounced by the Russian court, testifies to the fact that this sentence has been already prepared, and it is definitely guilty,” Justice Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Petrenko commented.

As a reminder, Nadiya Savchenko is accused of involvement in the murder of Russian journalists in Luhansk region and illegal crossing the border. The lawyers and Savchenko deny accusations and claim that she was abducted in Donbas and illegally deported to Russia.

Lawyer Mark Feygin published the expert evaluation of the video captured during the battle near Luhansk. According to him, the video shows that Savchenko was already in “LNR” captivity at the time of death of journalists and could not adjust the artillery fire.