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Russia agrees to refer Fedorovych case to Ukraine

Russia has sustained a request of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (PGO) to refer to Ukrainian law enforcement officials an investigation into the criminal proceedings against fisherman Oleksandr Fedorovych, who survived after a collision of a Ukrainian fishing boat with a Russian coast guard vessel in the Sea of Azov on July 17, 2013.

The PGO press service told Ukrinform on Wednesday.

"Russia has sustained a request of the Prosecutor General's Office ... Criminal proceedings (against Fedorovych) will soon be referred to Ukrainian law enforcement agencies," the report said.

The PGO recalled that on September 24 the Ukrainian side addressed Russia with a request to transfer the criminal proceedings against Fedorovych for investigation by law enforcement authorities in Ukraine.

On November 5, the Russian prosecution authorities informed their Ukrainian colleagues that the request was satisfied.

As reported, a Ukrainian fishing boat collided with a Russian coast guard vessel in the Sea of Azov on July 17, 2013, with four Ukrainian fishermen killed and one seriously injured in the collision. A criminal case was opened against 49-year-old Oleksandr Fedorovych, the fisherman who survived the incident, for illegal fishing. He said at a meeting with Ukraine's consul that the Russians had deliberately rammed the vessel with Ukrainian fishermen, and a video that actually proves his words was later posted on the Internet.

On November 6, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Fedorovych has already returned to Ukraine.

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