Following public pressure and increased interest of Ukrainian mass media, Russia yesterday released fisherman Oleksandr Fedorovych. “He was released owing to the efforts of the Ukrainian side and is heading home,” said the director of information policy department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yevhen Perebyinis. Ukrainian government, in particular, the General Consulate of Ukraine in Rostov-on-Don, kept control of this sensational incident and has gotten its own way.
“On September 24 the Ukrainian side requested the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation to solve the question of Oleksandr Fedorovych’s potential return, (…) and choose the punishment other than travel restriction,” reads the website of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine. It also reads that the Prosecutor General’s Office has asked Russians to transfer the criminal proceedings regarding the fisherman to Ukraine, for investigative actions to be carried out by Ukraine’s law-enforcement authorities.
According to the website of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, the Russian side has satisfied Ukraine’s request on November 5. “In the near future the criminal proceedings will be transferred to Ukrainian law-enforcement authorities. Restrictions on travel have been removed for Fedorovych,” the statement reads.
“Ukrainian fisherman Oleksandr Fedorovych was released at 6:00 this morning! His case has not been closed, but the trial will take place only in February. At the moment Oleksandr is on his way home from Yeysk. (…) Everyone who thinks that public pressure on the power does not mean or change anything, better keep silent,” journalist Olha Musafirova wrote on her Facebook page.
It will be reminded that on July 17 the boat, with Oleksandr and other four Ukrainians on board in the Sea of Azov, was battered down by the patrol cutter of Russian frontier guard. All Ukrainians, except for Fedorovych, died. The frontier guard officers refused to rescue his fellow countrymen, saying they would wait for the cutter of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Hryhorii PEREPELYTSIA:
“Absence of border demarcation is one of the reasons of the tragedy. As we can see, it objectively contributes to this incident. The reason is that we could better defend the rights of our citizens in such situations and incidents with Russia, if we had a strictly demarcated border in the Sea of Azov. Then it would be clear, who was guilty in this situation. And of course fishermen would understand where the border and the demarcation line of Ukrainian water area end, and where Russia begins.”
Oleksandr is the only witness of the incident. If anyone had doubts in his evidence, these doubts were scattered after the video of pursuit of Ukrainian fishermen published on the Internet. In the video, shot by one of the frontier guard officers, one can hear the words: “Come on, a couple of times more, and f***, they are already full of water!” It was said after the boat was battered down. “They were chasing us like I don’t know whom: they were cutting us up, drowning cutter, and besides, they were shooting at us. When we tried to leave, they somehow appeared from the opposite direction: head-on. The steersman tried to avoid the collision, but they turned broadside. And there was a collision. But they say it was us who battered them down,” Fedorovych commented on the incident to The Day.
However, the adventures of the 49-year-old fisherman did not end after that. He was brought to the Central Raion Hospital of the city of Yeysk (Krasnodar Krai), underwent several surgeries, and was left there under travel restrictions. The Ukrainian fisherman was accused under the Article 256, clause 3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Illegal extraction (fishing) on biological water resources.” He is facing the punishment of a 100,000-500,000 rubles’ fine or compulsory labor for up to two years.
The details of Oleksandr Fedorovych’s release remain unknown. However, The Day has found out that his case has not been closed. We also have failed to get any comments from the investigator Dmitry PERBUSHKIN, responsible for the investigation. When he heard that we would like to interview him in detail about Fedorovych, he gave a short reply: “secrecy of investigation” and “it is not in my competence to answer these questions.”
Fedorovych’s attorney Viktoria PROSVIRINA does not know much either. However, she says there has been no trial. “Travel restriction for Oleksandr Fedorovych has been removed and he was permitted to leave Russia. However, the investigation is still underway. Nobody has explained anything to us, in particular, the reasoning of this decision. They simply cancelled it and permitted him to leave. Maybe not; so, I don’t know whether he will still need my services,” Prosvirina told The Day and also noted that the case with Fedorovych is the first in her practice, and that she hopes that such thing won’t happen again.
The Day has also failed to contact Oleksandr Fedorovych, who yesterday arrived in Ukraine. His wife Maryna explained that his Russian phone number is invalid, but he does not have a Ukrainian one yet. However, we have talked to the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Rodnoye Priazovye (Native Sea of Azov Region) Serhii SHVEDKO, who was present at Fedorovych’s press conference. “The entire left part of his body, hurt during the accident, still aches,” Shvedko explained, “The call from interrogating officer, who phoned at 5 p.m. and invited him to his office was unexpected for Oleksandr. The officer told Oleksandr about the change of sanction – instead of travel restriction he will be sent home. Fedorovych also underlined that no one explained the reasons to him. He had received help from Ukraine’s consulate, which paid monthly rent of 100 dollars for his apartment. But he says he was eating only Mivina,” Serhii Shvedko added. What will be next? Fedorovych noted that he wants simply to have rest, he cannot work so far, and his case has not been closed. He is not going to go to court for moral reimbursement, but everything will depend on the ruling of the Russian court.
Doctor of Political Sciences, professor at Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv Hryhorii PEREPELYTSIA gave a positive assessment of the actions of Ukrainian government in the incident involving Fedorovych. Besides, the expert reminds, this situation was under the control of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara – this question was one of the priorities at his meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. However, the incident involving Fedorovych and four other victims has activated the question of demarcation of sea borders between Ukraine and Russia.
“Absence of border demarcation is one of the reasons of the tragedy. As we can see, it objectively contributes to this incident. The reason is that we could better defend the rights of our citizens in such situations and incidents with Russia, if we had a strictly demarcated border in the Sea of Azov. Then it would be clear, who was guilty in this situation. And of course fishermen would understand where the border and the demarcation line of Ukrainian water area end, and where Russia begins. This would have solved numerous problems, and the Ukrainian side keeps saying this to Russia for many years.”
