Russia is demanding that Ukraine hand over all people connected with terrorist acts committed in Russia, including the head of the country’s SBU Security Service, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.
1 dead as Russia launches attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure
1 dead as Russia launches attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure
It said investigation of these incidents showed that “the traces of these crimes lead to Ukraine”.
“Russia has turned over to Ukrainian authorities its demands … for the immediate arrest and extradition of all those connected to the terrorist acts in question,” the statement said.
The ministry statement said those to be handed over included SBU head Vasyl Maliuk, who has acknowledged his service was behind attacks on the bridge linking Crimea to the Russian mainland since the Kremlin’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russia seized control of Crimea in 2014; the bridge was built after the region was annexed.
“The Russian side demands that the Kyiv regime immediately cease all support for terrorist activity, extradite guilty parties and compensate the victims for damages,” it said.
“Ukraine’s violation of its obligations under anti-terrorist conventions will result in it being held to account in international legal terms.”
Russian investigators said last week they had found proof that the concert hall gunmen were linked to “Ukrainian nationalists”. Kyiv denies any connection with the attack.
Russian news agencies on Sunday quoted Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee – the country’s most important criminal investigation body – as saying that work was proceeding to determine who was behind the attack.
“Statements about terrorism sound particularly cynical coming from the terrorist state itself,” the SBU said in a statement. “Therefore, any words from the Russian Foreign Ministry are pointless.”