The group was created
by an aide to Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada MP.
MOSCOW, May 21.
/TASS/. The Federal Security Service (FSB) has shut down the activity of an
extremist group in Crimea that had been created by an aide to Ukraine’s
Verkhovna Rada member of parliament, the FSB Center for Public Relations told
TASS.
"The Federal
Security Service and the Russian Interior Ministry have revealed the activity
of an extremist group created by Erol Veliyev, aide to Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada
member of parliament [Mustafa] Dzhemilev, as ordered by [Refat] Chubarov, who
is the leader of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, which is outlawed in
Russia, and is on the wanted list, with support from the Ukrainian Security
Service," the FSB Center for Public Relations reported.
Apart from Veliyev,
former boxers Steshenko and Tretyakov are also members of the group that was
formed in Kharkov, FSB reported. "The extremists planned to commit crimes
based on political hatred with a goal to threaten the pro-Russian Crimean
Tatars and stoke national tensions on the territory of the Republic of
Crimea," the Center noted.
In January 2018,
members of the extremist group set Crimean mufti Emirali Ablayev’s house on
fire with Molotov cocktails. "They were promised 500 dollars for each
event carried out in Crimea," the Center reported. In April, one of the
extremist group members - Steshenko - was detected when entering the territory
of Crimea where he had been sent by Veliyev to prepare and commit provocations
in the run-up to an anniversary of the signing of the law "On the measures
to rehabilitate the Armenian, Bulgarian, Greek, Crimean Tatar and German
peoples and on state support for their resurgence and development" by the
Russian president. A criminal case was launched under Part 2 Article 167 of the
Russian Criminal Code ("Deliberate destruction or damage to property
inflicted in a dangerous way") over the arson of an Interior Ministry
facility in Crimea.
Investigators from
the Federal Security Service Directorate for Crimea and Sevastopol launched
criminal cases for offences under Parts 1 and 1.1 Article 282.1 of the Russian
Criminal Code ("Establishment of an extremist group and recruitment of
people for activity in an extremist group") against Veliyev and under Part
2 Article 282.1 ("Participation in an extremist group") against
Steshenko and Tretyakov.
"Extremist group
members Veliyev and Tretyakov were sentenced in absentia under the
corresponding Criminal Code articles. Both were put on the federal wanted
list," the Center for Public Relations added.
Source: ITAR-TASS
21-05-2018
