Ukrainian lawyer of Russian soldiers was kidnapped, robbed and shot to death
The body of a Ukrainian lawyer for one of two Russian servicemen on trial in Ukraine was discovered Friday south of the capital, Kiev. Officials said Yuri Grabovsky had been kidnapped, beaten, robbed, shot to death and then buried with an explosive device around his leg.
Grabovsky was representing Alexander Alexandrov, who was captured along with fellow Russian serviceman Yevgeny Yerofeyev last May in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine. Both men confessed to being active-duty members of Russia's foreign military intelligence agency known as the GRU.
You May Also Like
Moscow claims they had resigned from active duty before going to Ukraine, and the Kremlin has repeatedly denied sending servicemen there to support pro-Russian separatist fighters.
Grabovsky's body was found early Friday buried on the grounds of a former farming collective south of the capital, Kiev.
Anatoly Matios, chief military prosecutor, told reporters in Kiev on Friday that Grabovsky's body was found early in the day buried on the grounds of a former farming collective after a suspect detained a week ago gave prosecutors the location.
A second suspect in the killing was detained in Odessa region Thursday, he said. Both are citizens of Ukraine but have not yet been publicly named.
A fake special services officer ID was confiscated from one of them, Matios added, suggesting that perhaps they had falsely identified themselves to Grabovsky in order to lure him into a trap.
The prosecutor said the motive for the killing was unclear.
Russia's foreign ministry blamed Ukrainian authorities for failing to protect Grabovsky, who they claimed was a victim of anti-Russian sentiment in Ukraine due to his role defending Alexandrov.
Shortly after his disappearance, Grabovsky's Facebook account was hacked, The Associated Press reported. Someone impersonating the lawyer posted pictures from an Egyptian sea resort. His friends and colleagues said Grabovsky left his passport at home and could not possibly be abroad.
Amnesty International earlier this week raised the alarm about Grabovsky's disappearance, saying he and the lawyer for the other defendant had been under "sustained pressure from the Ukrainian authorities" in connection with their role in the trial.
The National Association of Advocates of Ukraine said in a statement upon learning the news: "We hope that all those involved in the murder of our colleague will be punished."
Hearings in the trial of the two Russians were adjourned in early March when Grabovsky did not show up in court and was later declared missing, The Associated Press reported.
After Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko was convicted and sentenced to 22 years in a Russian prison, Ukraine's president said he would be willing to exchange Alexandrov and Yerofeyev for Savchenko.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin's chief of staff, Segei Ivanov, reportedly said Savchenko could be exchanged, but that only Putin holds the power to make such a decision.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Christopher is Mashable's Senior Correspondent covering world news, particularly the post-Soviet space and especially Ukraine, where he lived and worked for more than five years. As an editor at Ukraine's Kyiv Post newspaper, Christopher was part of the team that won the 2014 Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism for coverage of the Euromaidan Revolution, Russia's annexation of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine. Besides Mashable, he has published with The Telegraph, The Times, The Independent and GlobalPost from such countries as Greece, Italy, Israel, Russia and Turkey, among others, as well as from aboard a search and rescue ship off the Libyan coast. Originally from rainy Portland, Oregon, he is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Ukraine) currently based in New York.
