Ukrainians illegally detained in Russia: The “Chechen” Case

Mykola Karpyuk (50) and Stanislav Klikh (41) are being accused by the Russian authorities of taking part in the first Chechen war (1994-1996) and killing Russian soldiers. Although in fact some activists of the Ukrainian radical movement “UNA UNSO” visited Chechnya and, according to unconfirmed information, were members of armed groups of Chechen rebels, neither Karpyuk nor Klikh have ever taken part in the Chechen conflict. The investigative Committee of the Russian Federation is notorious for accusing Ukrainians in fighting in Chechnya during the first Chechen war. Such fake accusations have absolutely no evidential basis behind it. Recently, even Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatseniuk was mentioned as a former member of a Chechen armed groups. The absurdity of this accusation is obvious and can be easily proved by facts.

Mykola Karpiuk (born 1964) is a Ukrainian civil activist who has been active in politics since the early 1990s. He played an active part in Ukraine’s recent Revolution as part of Right Sector. He was arrested in Russia on March 21, 2014 under unclear circumstances. His family and friends believe him to have been kidnapped  by the FSB from the territory of Ukraine (namely Ukrainian-Russian border in Chernihiv Oblast). He is being kept in an investigative temporary detention center in Grozny (Chechnya). Karpiuk is facing 15 years in prison for the following accusation: Art. 317 (attempted murder of a police officer) and s. 1. Art. 209 of the Criminal Code of Russia (“Creating a stable armed group (gang) to attack the citizens or organizations, and implementation of the management of the group”). Russian investigative bodies claim that he was a participant of the Chechen war. But Karpiuk’s family and lawyer deny this claiming that he indeed was a fighter, but not on the territory of the Russian Federation, he participated in the conflicts of 1990ies in Abkhazia and Transnistria. The Ukrainian consul has not been allowed to meet with Mykola Karpyuk.

Ukrainian historian and journalist Stanislav Klikh (born 1974) was arrested in Russia on August 11, 2014 during a private visit to the city of Orel. After that he was supposedly transferred to prisons in Yessentuki, Pyatigorsk and Grozny, being accused by Russian authorities of participation in the “Right Sector” movement. He is facing charges on the basis of the same “Chechen case” as Mykola Karpiuk. The Ukrainian consul has not been allowed to meet with Stanislav Klikh.  

On September 15, 2015 the Russian court in Grozny officially started the trial in their case.