The Ministry of Justice sent to Russia the request for the extradition, pursuant to the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, of Ukrainian citizen Stanislav Klykh, who was sentenced in Chechnya to 20 years in prison.
Ukraine's first Deputy Minister of Justice Natalia Sevostyanova also told a briefing on 23 June that on June 16 Ukraine has sent a request for the extradition of Mykola Karpyuk, who has been convicted in Russia in the same case. So far, Russia has not provided answers to inquiries.
At the same time, Sevostyanova hopes that the issue of the return of Klykh and Karpyuk will be resolved in the near future "on the political rather than the judicial level."
On May 26, the Supreme Court sentenced of Chechnya sentenced Ukrainians Karpyuk and Klykh to 22.5 and 20 years in prison respectively. Karpyuk was arrested in March 2014, Klykh - in August 2014.
Russia's Investigation Committee has claimed that Karpyuk together with the late Oleksandr Muzychko led the gang Viking, and has allegedly committed crimes in the Chechen Republic in the 90s. Russia's Investigation Committee has stated that among members of Viking were also the former leader of the Right Sector Dmytro Yarosh, Yuriy Dolzhenko, Klykh and other Ukrainians. Ukrainian Oleksandr Malofeyev, who testified against Karpyuk and Klykh, has claimed that the former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk also has fought in Chechnya.
In this case, the jury at the Klykh trial considered that Karpyuk "deserved leniency on charges of involvement in the gang and murders." Krapiuk, in their opinion, did not deserve leniency.