Occupiers may reschedule the “trial” of Ukrainian prisoners in Mariupol – mayor’s advisor
The Russian occupiers may postpone or abandon the “trial” of Ukrainian prisoners of war in temporarily occupied Mariupol.
This was stated by Petro Andryushchenko, adviser to the mayor, on the air of the national telethon.
– Now, we have cautious optimism about this “tribunal”. We hope that it will be canceled. We have seen active preparation for it, but at the end of the week, the occupiers took off the guards and returned the technical staff to work in the philharmonic hall. On the one hand, everything is ready there, but on the other hand, we see no active preparations, – he said.
Andryushchenko suggests that public pressure, international reaction, and the unequivocal position of the leadership of Ukraine forced the occupiers to take “an operational pause” on the issue of “trial.
– We understand the need for the occupiers to step back in order to have some room for maneuver, for negotiations, which they desperately need. Therefore, the president’s statement had one of the key roles. Also, the UN responded in the end, and the final point was the investigation made public by American searchers and the State Department’s response regarding prisons’ filtration. All this combined seems to have worked to ensure that the occupiers take an operational pause for the time being. We see a decrease in the aggressive rhetoric regarding the “tribunal, – the mayor’s advisor added.
Photo: Mariupol city council