The Savchenko test

The release of Nadia Savchenko tops today’s news issues in Ukraine and abroad. First of all, due to her character, will power, and standpoint. After Savchenko went on dry hunger strike on March 4, a wave of protests rolled around the world, urging policy-makers to pressurize Russia’s leadership to release the Ukrainian MP. In particular, Ukrainian journalists urged Petro Poroshenko to take immediate resolute measures in one of the first actions outside the President’s Office (where The Day took an active part).

It is gratifying to see that public action stirred Ukrainian policy-makers into action, albeit rather late. The president’s statements and relevant actions followed not only outbursts of public displeasure at home, but even the statements made by the US Department of State. As to the Ukrainian Consulate General in Rostov-on-Don (Russia), it did not react for several days. Until then, information seeped only via Savchenko’s lawyers. Finally, on March 8, MP Iryna Herashchenko, mentioned in her Facebook status update that the president had charged the Foreign Ministry with creating a coordination center for rescuing Savchenko. Which suggests that until then no such center had existed.

“The Consulate is immediately involved in organization issues on the spot,” said consul Oleksandr Kovtun in a comment to The Day. “We assist the family members with transportation, reception, moral and medical support. We are also busy with the procedures, submitting petitions and sending notes. We help the lawyers. We mean not only the case of Savchenko, but also those of Karpiuk, Klykh, Lytvynov, Kolchenko, Sentsov, and others.”

Conspicuous by their absence from the recent court sessions in Russia were Ukrainian MPs, particularly the representatives of Fatherland, whose faction Savchenko heads. However, after criticism on the part of journalists, some of them did travel to the Russian Federation (Aliona Shkrum, Ivan Krulko, and Oleksii Riabchyn), but they were unable to make it to the trial as they were detained at Sheremetyevo Airport. Fatherland’s representatives have sprung to life in Ukraine’s capital, organizing several rallies in support of Savchenko in the recent days.

Meanwhile, on March 9 the Donetsk court in Rostov oblast, RF, postponed the verdict on the Savchenko case until March 21-22. Although interrupted, Savchenko was able to make her last plea: “Russia will inevitably have its Maidan! Putin won’t be able to hold grip on power soaking in blood. It is against all laws of nature. It is contrary to humanity, contrary to God, contrary to anything in this world. All I can do is to be an example that Russia with its ‘statehood’ and its totalitarian regime could be broken, if you are bold and unflinching.”

“This trial stole a week of my life,” continued Savchenko. “Now you only have a week to bring out the verdict. I might live long enough to hear it. You can make a handsome gesture and admit your mistake. Of course, you will not admit your guilt. You can announce the verdict right now or tomorrow, or at the most in a week. If you decide that you can pass the verdict in two weeks, or at the end of April, or after six months… Do you want to demonstrate your strength? Be my guest. And remember: my life is on stake in this game. The stakes are high and I win, because I have nothing to lose. I will continue the hunger strike, if the decision is taken later than in a week. I will not wait for the verdict.”

We would like to remind that in Russia Savchenko stands accused of murder of two Russian journalists and illegal entry into Russia. The Ukrainian pilot and her defense refute the charges and declare that by the moment of death of the Russian journalists she had already been captured by the terrorists, and subsequently transported to Russia against her will. The prosecution demands 23 years in jail.

Demands to release Savchenko were heard not only in the US, but also in the EU, which promptly and firmly reacted to Moscow’s actions. MEPs even asked Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the EU for foreign affairs, to impose personal sanctions against the Russian President Vladimir Putin and 28 Russian officials due to “illegal treatment of the Ukrainian national Nadia Savchenko.” The petition was signed by 57 MEPs.

“REPRESENTATIVES OF UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT LOOK LOST AT SAVCHENKO’S TRIAL”

Elena ROMANOVA, Russian journalist, Rostov-on-Don:

“On Wednesday the court hearing of the Savchenko case started at 11 a.m. sharp, just like it was planned. Among the media it caused a greater commotion than the one of March 3, which is why the administration was forced to make available two more rooms with video broadcasting. Not everyone was let in, although journalists were eager to see Savchenko, in particular, due to her reportedly deteriorating health. But Nadia looked rather confident and active, as usual. Before making her last plea, she gave the judge the middle finger, for which she was rebuked. Savchenko clearly said she will keep her hunger strike until she is returned to Ukraine. She demanded the final trial no later than in a week. Nevertheless, the judge slated the verdict on March 21. Savchenko objected and sang the National Anthem of Ukraine. Besides, Nadia threatened that her supporters would picket the isolation block and eventually start another Maidan. However, the implementation of such plans has rather doubtful prospects. Today, everyone was waiting for the arrival of Ukrainian doctors who were supposed to examine Nadia and assess her medical condition. But the doctors were detained at the border, in the village of Milove. Likewise, Ukrainian MPs accompanying Savchenko’s mother, were detained. When Nadia’s mother spoke with the journalists, she sounded very sharp and wished that the children of her daughter’s captors could also experience the same. She shamed Putin for tormenting a girl. By the way, she spoke to the journalists exclusively in Russian.

“The residents of the Russian town, where the trial is held, have visibly lost interest in this subject. The trial sessions, with streets blocked for security reasons, annoy the dwellers, and the process is effectively absent from the mass media. Moreover, the theme of war in Ukraine has lost priority in Russian papers and news broadcasts. Now the Russian population is fed with the Syrian conflict and the stories of ‘Bad Obama.’ The terms ‘Novorossia,’ ‘LNR,’ and ‘DNR’ are simply not used by Russian journalists.

“As far as I observed the behavior of the Ukrainian consuls, they all leave an impression of being lost. They appeared at the sessions and gave comments, but it looked as though they were tired and did not know exactly how they should respond to the situation. And this is true not only of the Savchenko trial, but also the cases of other Ukrainian prisoners. When asked what precisely the Ukrainian authorities do to make sure their fellow citizen is released, they demonstrate the absence of their own standpoint, and consequently, the absence of such in the Ukrainian authorities.

“On the other hand, the Russian authorities do not realize the international repercussions of the Savchenko trial. No one ever wonders about the consequences: neither the government, nor the court, nor even journalists. They do not care what tomorrow might bring. This is a huge machine, which simply does its job, criminal including. And this is why Nadia’s hunger strike will not have a proper effect, because this system does not care a bit. Today I overheard Nadia talking through the bars with her own sister. Vira begged Nadia to stop the hunger strike, to which the latter retorted that she is sick and tired with everything.”

“THEY WILL NOT LET SAVCHENKO DIE, THEY WILL FORCE-FEED HER”

Mustafa DZHEMILEV, MP, leader of the Crimean Tatar people, political prisoner:

“Most likely, they will not let Nadia Savchenko die and will force-feed her, just like it was done in Soviet jails. For instance, I went on a hunger strike for 303 days. If it had not been for force-feeding, I would be dead after 50 days.

“As far as the dry hunger strike is concerned, one can last for about five days, but after that time it can have lethal consequences. And the fact that Savchenko still looks strong after a couple of days on dry hunger strike, proves that she is a very staunch woman.

“What can the government do to get her released? In fact, a bandit is keeping her hostage: how can one negotiate with him? Maybe we could negotiate an exchange. But if the incumbents in the Kremlin had some brains, they would realize that they are being extremely stupid. What do they gain by holding this girl hostage? Nothing but huge losses in international dimension. But this is how the Kremlin imagines power and strength.

“Nadia Savchenko should be released by all criteria, as a member of the Ukrainian parliament and of PACE. Besides, the charges against her do not stand any criticism, which her defense counsels Mark Feygin and Mykola Polozov have perfectly proven. Yet the court continues its policy. A Chechen song says, ‘Only he is a man who can admit his own fault.’ But it would be a waste of time to wait for the Kremlin’s incumbents, who would justify their every base trick and will never admit their mistakes.”

“SAVCHENKO IS HOSTAGE OF POLITICIANS WHO ARE UNABLE TO PLACE STATE’S INTERESTS ABOVE THOSE OF THEIR OWN PARTIES”

Yevhen MAHDA, political expert:

“Unfortunately, in the Savchenko story we see the Ukrainian politicians’ age-old disease: lack of ability to consolidate and find solutions together. Many politicians prefer complot theories about how and why Savchenko was captured. These versions could be considered, but only after the pilot, just like all other Ukrainian prisoners, has been returned to Ukraine. Now they must only talk about the release of Savchenko. But in our country, some are trying to use her to harm the president (saying that Poroshenko does nothing for her release), others, to harm Tymoshenko (who claimed in the fall of 2014 to have an absolutely clear plan to ensure the captured pilot’s release, but we never saw it). Meanwhile, Ukrainian society found itself hostage to politicians who are unable to place state’s interests above those of their own parties.

“I do not believe that there have been absolutely no attempts to release Savchenko. It is obvious that the negotiations carried out via diplomatic channels are not revealed to the broad public. It is unthinkable that a diplomatic policy would be endorsed in Maidan. However, it is necessary to ban such simple things like private and narrow party interests from politics, and establish the priority of national interests instead. Our politicians have either to learn how to do it, or to leave.

“Savchenko’s behavior in court and her political prospects are rather vaguely related. Undoubtedly, she is a courageous and uncompromising person, but I would not speak of her high popularity ratings as politician in Ukraine. However, today she has already become an image on which other politicians are cashing on.”

“A ‘SAVCHENKO LIST’ IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT SANCTIONS AGAINST THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION MUST ME TIGHTENED”

Volodymyr VASYLENKO, expert in international law:

“I see only one way to release Nadia: the tightening of sanctions against Russia on the part of all members of the international community, first and foremost, the most influential ones. The Russian Federation is a barbaric state, and it is led by a barbarian that despises the norms of both international and domestic law. It would be naive to hope to settle the Savchenko issue within the legal framework. It must be also stated that we are not going to release the Russian troops captured in Donbas until the Ukrainian pilot is released.

“A ‘Savchenko list’ is a step in the right direction, but I consider it to be insufficient. Economic sanctions must be tightened until Putin understands: if he does not stop the unlawful behavior, Russia will face an economic crash.

“As far as the actions of the Ukrainian government go, I find them insufficient for the release of Nadia. They should have employed all available diplomatic means, as well as informal contacts, and organize a broad international campaign for her release. We might have recalled all the diplomatic staff of our embassy in Moscow until Savchenko is released. There are many methods Ukraine might have used, but did not.

“Important as Savchenko’s fate is, it is but an episode with one Ukrainian POW in the RF. But Ukraine has no consistent position and policy for repulsing Russian aggression. Ukrainian diplomacy should have long been working to shape and anti-Putin coalition for stopping the armed aggression against our state. And this will only happen when all occupied Ukrainian territories are vacated by Russians. It will take efforts of the entire international community. Only by forcing Russia to obey international law can we restore international law and order. This is necessary not only in order to defend Ukraine’s interests, but also for the entire international communication, since Russia’s behavior under Putin’s leadership poses a threat to global security. And as long as the West remains oblivious to it, the Kremlin incumbent will enjoy escapades which undermine international law and order. This behavior will eventually lead to new victims of Russia’s aggression.

“I admire Nadia Savchenko, her courage, will power, convictions and behavior of a true Ukrainian patriot and citizen. Any insinuations about her being wrong I consider immoral and wicked. To go on a hunger strike or not, is her personal choice, and it is not up to us to decide for her. But her choice is caused, among other things, also by Ukraine’s inefficient efforts for her release. Spending 26 years in a Russian jail is a horrendous prospect, and no one can forecast what could happen to the Ukrainian pilot there.”