Mikhail Fedotov, Russia's Chairman of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, has sent a letter to Lyudmila Denisova, Ukrainian ombudsman, stating that three wounded prisoners of war, kept in Lefortovo prison, were provided with the appropriate medical treatment and they did not need hospitalization. The Ukrainian ombudsman wrote this on Facebook.

“I have received the responses to two my appeals to the advisor of the president of the Russian Federation. It is stated that three wounded sailors are provided with proper medical treatment in Lefortovo prison. However, there are no conditions for proper medical treatment. They also try to assure me that the sailors do not need urgent hospitalization, concerning which I have received many claims… I am worried about the health condition of the wounded sailors. I have got the answers to my applies, but only more questions appeared,” Denisova wrote.

According to the ombudsman, Fedotov also reported that after the examination of Vasyl Soroka, heavily wounded sailor, in a city’s hospital on February 22, he was recommended for operative medical treatment, which has not been fulfilled yet without any clarifications.

“We do not know, why this operation is postponed Meanwhile, Vasyl [Soroka] is in critical condition, an improvement of his health condition is impossible without the provision of medical care,” Ukrainian ombudsman wrote.

According to Denisova, Fedotov assures that two wounded prisoners of war Andriy Eider and Andriy Artemenko were examined in the hospital, where they received the consultation of the doctors.

“The health condition of the boys is satisfying. Once again, no officially confirmed medical documents have been ever provided,” the ombudsman added.

Besides, the advisor of the Russian president stated that sailor Volodymyr Tereshchenko was temporarily kept in a cold cell, during the sanitary treatment, and the availability of hot water by the current legislation of the Russian Federation is not regulated. According to Fedotov, Tereshchenko was transferred to another cell for two persons with the improved conditions.

As we reported earlier, On November 25, the coast guard ships of the Russian Navy attacked the ships of the Ukrainian Navy, which have been carrying out a scheduled transition from Odesa port to Mariupol port in the Sea of Azov. Ukrainian ships were rejected passage via the Kerch Strait, Russian coast guards opened aimed fire on them.

All 24 sailors on board were captured and delivered to Moscow – 21 of them were delivered to Lefortovo remand center, the rest came to the hospital of Matrosskaya Tishina prison.

Facing an extension of the sentence term, Ukrainian POWs detained in the Kerch Strait refused to testify in Lefortovo court. Sailors were distributed into six groups, four people in each. On January 15, 2019, Moscow's Lefortovo district court decided to keep 20 Ukrainian sailors in remand until April 24. On January 16, the court extended the detention term for another 4 sailors.