The fact of the crimes was confirmed by the statements provided by these persons to the border guards themselves. This information has been verified by the liaison officer and confirmed.
No indication was observed that these men would have suffered from violence. In interviews with the State Border Guard, they said they came from Kherson and Kharkiv. Russian border guards, meanwhile, had stamped their passports for deportation.
"They were jailed for criminal offenses in Ukraine. Then after the occupation of Ukrainian territory, they were moved to Russian territory. They were then released from a detention facility in Russia and moved to the border. They were escorted by the Russian Immigration Service," said Valdis Jukšs, chief of the Ludza department of the State Border Guard.
The Ukrainian embassy has shown no interest in them.
The State Border Guard has also informed border guards in Estonia and Lithuania about this case, as it is likely that this group will try to re-emerge from Russia.
