MOSCOW. July 7 (Interfax) - Moscow's Lefortovsky court has extended until October 11 the arrest of Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov, who was arrested in Crimea and is accused of plotting terrorist attacks.
"The court has upheld the request of investigators to extend Sentsov's restrictions for three months," spokesperson Yulia Skotnikova told Interfax on Monday.
It was reported that on May 11 the Russian law enforcement authorities detained Sentsov in Crimea. His transfer to a Moscow detention facility was reported on May 19.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on May 30 that members of the Right Sector sabotage and terrorist cell - Sentsov, Gennady Afanasyev, Alexei Chirnigo, Alexander Kolchenko - were detained in Crimea on suspicion of plotting terrorist and sabotage attacks in a number of Crimean towns.
According to the information of the FSB, the individuals detained planned, "as part of terrorist community, to carry out explosions of home-made explosive devices overnight into May 9, 2014 near the Eternal Flame memorial and Lenin monument in Simferopol and to set on fire offices of the Russian Community of Crimea public organization and the United Russia party branch in Simferopol on April 14 and April 18, 2014."
On June 2 the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry gave a note to the Russian embassy in Kyiv demanding a meeting with Sentsov be organized.
The European Film Academy addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 11 in regard to the situation concerning the detention of the film director. Around 20 culture and art personalities, including Agustin and Pedro the Almodovar, Andrzej Wajda, Wim Wenders, Krzysztof Zanussi and Daniel Oldbrychski, have signed the appeal.
On June 28 during the closing ceremony of the 36th Moscow International Film Festival film director Nikita Mikhalkov joined the request of Chairman of the Ukrainian Association of Cinematographers Serhiy Trymbach, in which he asked Putin to release Sentsov.