Nadiya Savchenko’s Sister Arrives in Russia Despite Entry Ban Warnings

Vera Savchenko, a sister of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, has been allowed to enter Russia.

Earlier, Russian border guards said that she was denied entry into the Russian Federation until 2020. The pilot’s is the only defense witness in the trial.

Vera Savchenko has been summoned to the hearing that is taking place in Russia’s Donetsk (Rostov region), bbc.com reports.

When Vera Savchenko appeared in St. Petersburg airport ‘Pulkovo’, border guards did not let her pass, lawyer Illya Novikov said on Twitter on Monday. However, an hour later, according to Novikov, they gave back her passport and granted permission to pass the border control, (Belsat http://belsat.eu/en/news/syastru-nadzei-sauchanki-upustsili-u-raseyu-nasuperak-zabarone/) reports.

Defense lawyer Mark Feygin called this decision an ‘absolute example of the power of publicity’.

On October 13, Vera Savchenko tried to enter the Russian Federation. However, she was denied entry at checkpoint Cherkovo-Melovoye on the border of Russia and Ukraine. The guards informed the woman of the entry ban until 2020. Russia’s secret service officers allegedly insited on such measure.

Russia accuses Nadiya Savchenko of murdering two TV journalists, who were killed during the fighting in Donbas, and illegal border crossing. The pilot denies any wrongdoing and says that she was kidnapped on the territory of Ukraine and taken to Russia by force.

At the moment of arrest, Vera Savchenko was in the same ditrict. She is expected to provide the court with additional information on the case.