Shuster: Erofeev and Aleksandrov recognized themselves as current Russian military

The Ukrainian television journalist Savik Shuster, who interviewed the arrested special forces of the Russian GRU - Captain Evgeny Erofeev and Sergeant Alexander Alexandrov, said, speaking a witness to the trial of them, that both in a conversation with him recognized themselves as the current Russian military, who carried out a combat mission in Ukraine. It is reported by "Mediazona". The process of Erofeev - Alexandrova continues in the Goloseevsky District Court of Kyiv; The case is considered by the collegium in Nikolai Didyk (chairman), Alexander Boyko and Yuri Mazur.

Schuster answered in the affirmative to the clarifying question of the prosecutor Maxim Crimea, whether the answers of the accused were voluntary. The victim Bogdan Garkush, a fighter of the Aidar battalion, wounded in a battle with Erofeev - also asked if the arrested were free to contact. “In my opinion, there was no isolation in them,” the journalist said. “People did not want to talk only about their personal lives, about their families. They talked about the rest.”

Erofeeva’s lawyer Oksana Sokolovskaya inquired: "Do you know that in accordance with the Geneva Convention from prisoners of war you can not take an interview?" “No, I don’t know about such a norm and, to be honest, I don’t believe that it is,” Schuster objected. Erofeev himself, in turn, announced pressure from the SBU. "I had a lot of SBU'Shnikov before. They told me that it was in my interests, to give an interview," the special forces said. He did not specify the names of the special services employees, explaining that they did not introduce themselves.

Earlier, during a meeting on Monday, the doctor of the 92nd brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Arthur Kravchenko, who operated on the wounded Alexandrov after the arrest, gave testimonies. “When he was put on the operating table, I asked him if he was really a soldier of the Russian Federation,” the doctor said. “He said: yes, GRU.” Kravchenko noticed that the wounded man was in full consciousness.

Erofeev and Aleksandrov were detained on May 16 near the city of the happiness of the Lugansk region. The Russian Ministry of Defense still refuses to admit that at the time of arrival in Ukraine they remained in the actual service, and were captured during the fulfillment of a combat mission.

The final version of the prosecution of the military was charged with part 28 - part 28 - part 2 of article 437 (waging an aggressive war by prior conspiracy by a group of persons; from 10 to 15 years of colony), part 2 of article 201 (smuggling of weapons and ammunition, committed by a group of persons; from 5 to 12 years), part 2 of article 332-1 (violation of the entry into the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, committed by preliminary conspiracy by a group of persons; from 3 to 5 years), part 2 of Article 263 (illegal handling of weapons; up to 3 years), part 1 of Article 258-3 (assistance to the activities of a terrorist organization; from 8 to 15 years), part 3 of Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (a terrorist attack that has entailed death of a person; from 10 years to a lifelong time).

Both special forces, before the court, stated that they rejected accusations of terrorism and insisted on retraining the accusations: Erofeev - to espionage, Aleksandrov - to "illegal crossing of the state border in order to collect intelligence."

At the trial, they said that they did not understand why they are considered military personnel . According to the defendants, they are unemployed. They also asked not to introduce video recordings to the materials , in which they recognize themselves as the Russian military. The special forces claimed that they gave such evidence while in the hospital after surgery under the influence of medications. Erofeev also claimed that in his belonging to the Russian armed forces he admitted under torture .

At the same time, Erofeev and Aleksandrov twice filed lawsuits to the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine on recognition as prisoners of war, but these claims were not accepted both times for consideration .