KYIV. Oct 15 (Interfax) - Hennadiy Otychko, a crewmember of the vessel YaMK-0041, which was detained off the coast of Crimea for poaching, has arrived in Ukraine for his mother's funeral," Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Liudmyla Denisova said.
"I have just talked to Hennadiy Otychko, a crewmember of the vessel YaMK-0041. He is already on the territory controlled by Ukraine, he is returning to Ochakiv. My representatives are accompanying him home. Hennadiy has promised to call me and tell me about his problems and needs when he gets there," Denisova said on her Facebook page on Sunday evening.
Earlier on Sunday, Denisova demanded that the Russian government release the crew of the fishing vessel YaMK-0041 detained by Russian border guards off the coast of Crimea on May 4.
The vessel was carrying Ukrainian sailors Serhiy Kalinichenko, Viktor Novitskiy, Ruslan Skripnik, Hennadiy Otychko and Oleh Blok. On May 16, the Russian Federal Security Servive said a criminal case had bene opened against the vessel's captain, Viktor Novitskiy, based on Part 3 of Article 256 of the Russian Criminal Code (illegal fishing by a person using his position).
The vessel YaMK-0041 was arrested.
Denisova asked Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to consider the possibility of exchanging the crewmembers of the vessel Nord detained by the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service for the crewmembers of the vessel YaMK-0041.