The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its protest and outrage over the new wave of persecution by Russia of ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars in Crimea and demands to immediately release them.
"The Russian occupation authorities continue discrimination on ethnic and religious grounds in the occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, persecuting ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars.
The Foreign Ministry recalled that during the last month, at least five politically motivated sentences related to imprisonment were rendered, seven people were arrested or fined. Over the past week there were at least three searches at homes of Crimean Tatars.
In addition, the foreign policy department expresses concern about the deteriorating health condition of the illegally sentenced Russian citizen Ruslan Zeitullayev who, on July 27, started another hunger strike to protest the groundless verdict of 15 years of imprisonment and demand that the Russian side urgently resolve the examination of Zeytullaev by Ukrainian doctors.
"Ukraine demands from the Russian Federation immediately and without any additional conditions to release all illegally detained citizens of Ukraine, to stop the practice of political persecution and repressions against our compatriots," the Foreign Ministry said.
