28 Hostages of the Kremlyn

28 HOSTAGES OF THE KREMLIN
in the 1980s. 77 Viktor’s son claims that the
FSB administered psychotropic substances
to his father. 78
Viktor Shur pleaded guilty and on 7
October, 2015, was sentenced to 12 years in a
strict regime penal colony — the minimum possible
time for the incriminated article (‘high
treason’). He is not going to file an appeal as
he considers it useless. Viktor’s relatives addressed
the President, requesting that Viktor
be granted Ukrainian citizenship with the
hope of placing him on the ‘list of prisoners
of war subject to exchange’. 79
The first official report on the whereabouts of
Viktor Shur, received by his family
| | Valentyn Vyhivskyi
Valentyn Vyhivskyi graduated from the Kyiv Polytechnic University, had a private business,
and participated in Euromaidan. On 17 September, 2014, Valentyn went on personal business
to Simferopol, where he was detained by the so-called ‘Crimean Self-Defence’ and transferred
to the building of the former Main Directorate of the State Security Service of Ukraine of the
Autonomous Republic of Crimea in Simferopol. He was subjected to torture there (stripped naked
and beaten, with a bag placed over his head) and compelled to confess to espionage. 80 Later, he
was transferred to the Lefortovo detention facility in Moscow. The investigating authorities of
the FSB initially accused him of ‘commercial espionage’ (Article 183 of the CC of the RF), but later
reclassified the case to ‘espionage’ (Art. 276 of the CC of the RF). The contents of the indictment
act are classified.
57
For nearly 9 months, the Ukrainian consul was not permitted to visit Vyhivskyi. When the
diplomatic representative finally received permission to visit the detainee, the meetings were
held in the presence of the detention facility officers, which had previously exerted psychological
pressure on the accused. 81 A spokeswoman for the Moscow Public Oversight Commission
Zoya Svietova was the first to be granted the opportunity to visit Vyhivskyi. According to
her, he kept repeating: “I’m all right. The investigation is underway”. When asked about the
change of counsel, he said: “Why would I need a counsel? Here, in Russia, it is useless. I do
not need a counsel.” 82
It was only after the verdict had been handed down that it became known that, according
77 Otkrytaya Rossiya [‘Open Russia’] / Isn’t age an obstacle? 73-year-old ‘Ukrainian spy’ and pensioners —
‘high traitors’ https://openrussia.org/post/view/10073/
78 Den [‘The Day’]/ Other captives of the Kremlin — www.day.Kyiv.ua/ru/article/obshchestvo/
drugie-plenniki-kremlya
79 Gromadske radіo / Anyone can become a spy — charges on which Ukrainians are convicted in Russia —
www.hromadskeradio.org/2015/10/19/lyuboy-mozhet-stat-shpyonom-za-chto-sudyat-ukrayncev-v-rossyy
80 Den [‘The Day’]/ Other captives of the Kremlin — www.day.Kyiv.ua/ru/article/obshchestvo/
drugie-plenniki-kremlya
81 Gromadske radіo / Anyone can become a spy — charges on which Ukrainians are convicted in Russia —
www.hromadskeradio.org/2015/10/19/lyuboy-mozhet-stat-shpyonom-za-chto-sudyat-ukrayncev-v-rossyy
82 Ukrainskata Pravda [‘The Ukrainian Truth’] / Russian human rights activist Zoya Svetova: On floor of the
prison hospital was assigned for Savchenko — www.pravda.com.ua/rus/articles/2015/02/9/7057942/