Two possible members of the Ukrainian National Assembly are detained in Crimea

Two citizens of Ukraine were detained in the Crimea annexed by Russia on Friday. The FSB suspects them of belonging to the so-called Crimean Tatar volunteer battalion, which fights on the side of the Ukrainian armed forces. This is reported by the Russian mass media with reference to the press service of the FSB.

Russian special services say that two detainees, 24 and 27 years old, joined the “Crimean Tatar Volunteer Battalion named after Noman Chelebydzhikhan” in 2017, recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia. For participation in an illegal armed formation, they can face up to 15 years in prison.

The Russian FSB did not specify where exactly the men were detained. Izdanie Krym.Realii claims that over the past year, Russian special services have repeatedly detained Ukrainian citizens in the occupied territories, taken them to Crimea and accused them of participating in the “Crimean Tatar battalion”. Many detainees received real terms and are already serving their sentences in Russian prisons.

• The discussion about the creation of the “Crimean Tatar battalion” as part of the structure of law enforcement agencies of Ukraine has been ongoing since 2016. The National Guard of Ukraine, which is part of the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, noted that applications for the creation of a “Crimean Tatar battalion” in their structure remain at the level of applications that are not legally established. Its leader, Lenur Islyamov, called for assigning the number of a military unit to the “Crimean Tatar battalion named after Noman Chelebydzhikhan” being created.