The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has said that Russia did not allow the Ukrainian consul to see 20-year old Ukrainian national Pavlo Hryb.
"The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry resolutely protests against the Russian refusal received on 29 January 2019 to grant the Ukrainian consul a permit to visit Ukrainian national Pavlo Hryb illegally convicted in Russia," it said.
The Russian actions run against its international commitments, including Article 13 of the consular convention between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine considers Russia's actions deliberate and aimed at hiding Hryb's medical condition.
On 29 January, Ukrainian ombudsperson Lyudmyla Denisova said Hryb was in an "ultra-critical" condition and required urgent heart surgery.