Oleksandr Kostenko, the Ukrainian political prisoner from Crimea, released from Russian prison, crossed the Ukrainian-Russian border along with the Ukrainian diplomats. He will arrive in Kyiv in the evening, as Iryna Gerashchenko, the President's Humanitarian Envoy at the Minsk peace talks, reported on Facebook.
“As Andriy Zayats, the State Secretary of Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, and our Consules informed me, Oleksandr Kostenko along with our diplomats crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border. They are expected to arrive In Kyiv tonight,” Gerashchenko stated.
She said that the Ukrainian side would continue doing everything to support the Ukrainians illegally kept in Russia regardless of their views, beliefs, possible questions form the Ukrainian law enforcement agencies to them.
Reportedly, Oleksandr Kostenko, the Ukrainian political prisoner, walks free, as he left Russian penal colony No.5 in Kirovo-Chepetsk, Kirov Oblast.
The so-called 'prosecutor's office' of Russian-annexed Crimea claimed that Kostenko, the native of Crimea, inflicted certain damage upon the fighter of Berkut riot police, who served in the Crimea-based unit; the convict allegedly clashed with the law enforcer during the violent street fights in Kyiv in February 2014, amidst the Revolution of Dignity. The Ukrainian was also accused of illegal weapon storage.
Kostenko served the time of four years and two months.