Ukrainian Court Rules Out Possibility of Bailout for Arrested Russian Servicemen

Central court of Ukraine’s city of Nikolaev overturned the possibility of a release on bail for two Russian servicemen abducted by Ukrainian security operatives in Crimea and later arrested in Ukraine, the court’s press service said Wednesday.

KIEV (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, the court granted a request made by a military prosecutor’s office of the Mykolaiv garrison, ordering the arrest of the Russian servicemen for two months with a possibility of release on bail. The court demanded 350,000 hryvnias ($12,000) for Staff Sgt. Aleksander Baranov and 250,000 hryvnias for Warrant Officer Maksim Odintsov.

“The court decided to change the method of execution of precautionary measure, indicated in previous decrees on November 22, by overturning a possibility of release on bail,” the statement read.

The decision was made at the request of the public prosecutor’s office, according to the statement.

On November 20, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Baranov and Odintsov were kidnapped and whisked across the border to the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine with an apparent goal to press criminal charges against them.

The Security Service of Ukraine said that the detained Russian servicemen had previously served in the Ukrainian army and after Crimea’s reunification with Russia went to serve in the Russian army. Criminal proceedings have been initiated against them over their desertion.

The relationship between Moscow and Kiev soured in 2014 following Crimea's reunification with Russia and the beginning of a military conflict in Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk a. Kiev accused Moscow of fueling tensions in eastern Ukraine, while Moscow refuted any involvement in the conflict.