Ukraine’s embassy in Delhi on Thursday expressed concern about the arrest of six Ukrainians in the country under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, claiming that the circumstances in the case suggest that it may be “orchestrated and politically motivated”.
On Monday, ThePrint reported that the National Investigation Agency had arrested seven foreign citizens on charges of conspiring to carry out terrorist activities against India. While six of them were Ukrainians, one was from the United States, The Indian Express reported.
All seven were arrested last week under the anti-terror law. They were reportedly arrested in Delhi, Kolkata and Lucknow while trying to leave India.
The persons accused in the matter had entered India on valid visas, but had allegedly travelled to Mizoram without the mandatory restricted area permit, The Indian Express quoted an unidentified official as saying. They allegedly crossed into Myanmar and “reportedly met ethnic groups hostile to India”.
In Mizoram, the persons had received deliveries of drones from Europe, ThePrint quoted unidentified officials as having alleged.
The accused persons were produced before a magistrate on Saturday, who remanded them to three days’ custody. On Monday, the custody was extended by 11 days till March 27.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the six Ukrainians had been provided with legal aid and a defence counsel for the court proceedings, The Hindu reported.
However, it added that “no established facts” proving their involvement in any illegal activity in India or Myanmar had been presented so far. The ministry had also suggested that the presence of the persons in a restricted zone in the North East may have been an “unintentional violation” .
In its statement on Thursday, the Ukrainian embassy said that it had taken into account publicly available information in the case, “including media reports indicating that the initiation of this proceeding was prompted by information provided by the Russian side…”
The embassy expressed “serious concern regarding the presence of circumstances that point to a possible orchestrated and politically motivated nature of this case, as evidenced, in particular, by the facts known at this stage”.
Kyiv rejects insinuations regarding the possible involvement of the Ukrainian government in supporting terrorist activities, the statement said.
“Ukraine is a state that faces the consequences of Russian terror on a daily basis and, for this very reason, takes a principled and uncompromising stance in combating terrorism in all its forms,” the embassy added.
The arrests came amid Russia’s war on Ukraine that began in February 2022. It is the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
The embassy also said that any allegation relating to terrorism “must be considered exclusively on the basis of verified facts, transparent procedures and full intergovernmental cooperation”. It further noted the need to ensure objectivity, transparency and impartiality in the investigation.
“We also emphasise that Ukraine has no interest in any activity that could pose a threat to the security of India,” the statement said. “On the contrary, Ukraine consistently advocates for strengthening security, trust and cooperation with India as an influential and friendly state.”
It added: “Instead, it is Russia, as an aggressor state, that seeks under every circumstance to drive a wedge between friendly countries – Ukraine and India.”
The statement added that attempts to use the matter to discredit Kyiv or to introduce distrust into the Ukraine-India relations appear to be a “deliberate effort” to harm the bilateral partnership.
Ukraine said that it expects that the Indian authorities “will ensure the legality, transparency and openness of the process, as well as the proper observance of the rights of the detained Ukrainian citizens, in accordance with the norms and principles of international law”.
Later on Thursday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the arrests were a legal matter and the issue is under investigation. “Ukraine has requested consular access,” he said, adding that it will be looked into.
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