Press release, 06.03.2015

Activists of Moscow Youth Yabloko conducted a series of one-person picketing in support of Nadezhda Savchenko outside the Investigative Committee. Nadezhda Savchenko is the Ukrainian helicopter pilot, deputy of Verkhovna Rada and PACE delegate who is being kept in Moscow pre-detention centre on suspicion of having abetted the killings of two Russian journalists.

Nikolai Kavkazsky

“The case against Nadya Savchenko is politically motivated. The prosecution has no evidence of her guilt and her alibi has been ignored. The detention of Nadezhda Savchenko contravenes the international law,” explained the organizers of the action Nikolai Kavkazsky and Maria Yefimova.

According to the activists, a criminal case must be brought against those who kidnapped Nadezhda Savchenko in Ukraine and illegally transferred to Russia with a sack on her head.

Maria Yefimova

“We consider that Russia’s authorities must immediately stop the undeclared war which they have launched in East Ukraine and stop providing separatists of Donetsk and Luhansk with weapons and humane resource. The release of Nadezhda Savchenko, who has become a hostage of the Kremlin, is a step towards peace,” noted Nikolai Kavkazsky and Maria Yefimova.
“I participate in this action because, in my opinion, we should use all legal ways to achieve the release of Nadezhda Savchenko,” commented Mark Kaluzhny, a Youth Yabloko activist.

Mark Kaluzhny

Since the action was held on March 6 [picketing in support of Bolotnaya Square rally case prisoners are being held on the 6th day every month] the activists also demanded to release the Bolotnaya case defendants.

On Thursday Nadezhda Savchenko agreed to end her 83-day hunger strike.