On 28 July the Prosecutor General took the decision to hand Oleg Kuznetsov, a Russian national granted refugee status in Ukraine, to the Russian authorities.

Yesterday evening or during the night, in violation of Ukraine‘s domestic legislation and its international commitments, Kuznetsov was sent back to Russia. It is understood that he is presently in Moscow‘s Domodevo Airport.

The Prosecutor General thus flouted the ruling of the District Administrative Court in Kyiv which on 21 July this year rejected the Prosecutor General’s application to revoke the ruling granting Kuznetsov asylum.

As reported here (http://www.khpg.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1205446040&w=Kuznetsov), Oleg Kuznetsov was granted refugee status in Ukraine on 5 March 2008. This was due to legitimate fears that his fundamental rights and freedoms would be violated if he were returned to the Russian Federation.