Russia has demanded that Ukraine hand over its head of the SBU Security Service. On Sunday (Mar 31), the Russian foreign ministry demanded that Kyiv must surrender all individuals linked to terrorist activities carried out in Russia, including Vasyl Maliuk, the security service chief.
Dismissing the demand as “pointless,” the SBU, as per a Reuters report, reminded the Russian ministry that the nation’s President Vladimir Putin has an international arrest warrant pending against him.
Russia’s extradition demand
The Russian Foreign Ministry in its statement highlighted the violent incidents in Russia since its forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022. These incidents include bombings that killed the daughter of a prominent nationalist and a war blogger; and an incident in which a writer was seriously injured.
“The traces of these crimes lead to Ukraine,” claimed the Russian ministry.
“Russia has turned over to Ukrainian authorities its demands … for the immediate arrest and extradition of all those connected to the terrorist acts in question,” said the statement.
The Russian statement demanded that Ukraine cease all support for terrorist activities, extradite the guilty parties, and compensate the victims for damages.
It also warned that “Ukraine’s violation of its obligations under anti-terrorist conventions will result in it being held to account in international legal terms.”
Among those listed for extradition is SBU head Vasyl Maliuk, who has previously admitted that his service was behind attacks on the bridge linking Crimea to the Russian mainland since the 2022 invasion.
SBU’s response
The SBU responded by calling the Russian demands “cynical.”
Describing Russia as a “terrorist state” it said that the demands “sound particularly cynical coming from the terrorist state itself.”
“Therefore, any words from the Russian Foreign Ministry are pointless,” it remarked.
Referring to the arrest warrant against Putin issued by the International Criminal Court in connection with the alleged war crimes of illegally transferring Ukrainian children to Russia, it stated that “the tribunal in The Hague is waiting for him.”
(With inputs from agencies)
