The sentencing by a Russian court in the southern region of Rostov has been scheduled for March 21-22. The pronouncement of the verdict in the case will begin on March 21 and will take two days.
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Ukrainians rallied to support Nadezhda Savchenko, a 34-year-old Ukrainian female pilot captured in June, 2014 by insurgents in eastern Ukraine near the town of Shchastye, north of Lugansk city.
Her lawyers say that conviction is a foregone conclusion; the only question is if the court will impose the 23 years in prison sought by prosecutors.
“She will either be force-fed or die”, said Polozov.
Appearing feverish and visibly thinner after several days of fasting, she said she would continue the hunger strike if the court takes longer than a week to announce a verdict.
Within the framework of the visit, the fifth session of the High Level Strategic Council between Ukraine and Turkey will also be held.
While the court was not enthused by her message, it seemed to strike a chord with Russian opposition activists following the trial online.
The Ukrainian government says she was abducted and should be treated as a prisoner of war.
Czech Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Belobradek said human rights and worldwide law are violated in Savchenko’s case and that he would approach Russian President Vladimir Putin with a letter about it. “He is the one responsible for the political decision to detain Nadiya Savchenko despite the appeals of the global community”, the letter said.
“Of course we have heard yesterday’s announcement by the President of Ukraine… we have also heard today’s announcement by Savchenko’s lawyer in which he said that his defendant has ended her hunger strike”, Peskov said, state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported.
She stopped consuming liquids last Thursday.
The 28-member bloc said in a statement that 146 people, including Russian-backed former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich, and 37 companies would remain under sanctions. Few expect an innocent verdict – a rare occurrence in Russians courts – and the maximum sentence the judge could hand down is 25 years behind bars.
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Savchenko herself told the court that she meant to continue refusing to eat or drink water in protest.
