Nadezhda Savchenko denied jury trial

The case of Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko, accused of murdering Russian journalists and illegally crossing the border with the Russian Federation, will be heard without a jury. This decision, Vedomosti reports , was made in accordance with legislative changes adopted in 2013 and a Constitutional Court ruling in May 2014: since women cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment or the death penalty by law, their cases can only be heard by district courts, where it is impossible to form a jury.

Savchenko's case is being heard in the Donetsk City Court of the Rostov Region. A preliminary hearing is taking place on July 30. The investigation claims that the illegal border crossing occurred in this area. The defense claims that Savchenko was transported to Russian territory by militias fighting in eastern Ukraine, and that there is video footage, filmed by militias, confirming the pilot's alibi.