MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia's Investigative Committee said on Tuesday it opened a case against criminal network members in Ukraine who kidnapped Russian citizens for the purpose of exchanging them.
"The Russian Investigative Committee's Main Investigations Directorate opened a criminal case against unidentified managers and employees of Ukraine's law enforcement agencies on grounds of… organizing a criminal association, kidnapping, human trafficking," it said in a statement.
According to the investigators, the criminal association was characterized by careful planning of crimes, persistence of forms and methods of criminal activity, and a clear hierarchical structure.
Currently, the investigation is establishing the circumstances of these crimes and their victims.
