Yet another commander from seized Ukrainian vessel refuses to testify
MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) - One of the commanders of the Ukrainian ship, who were detained for illegal border crossing near the Kerch Strait, is not planning to give any evidence until his crew is released, his lawyer Ilya Novikov said.
"The commander of the motor boat Berdyansk, Roman Mokriak, today told investigators that he demands that he and his crew be treated as prisoners-of-war and that he will not give evidence to Russian authorities before his subordinates are released," Novikov wrote on his Facebook page.
Mokriak thinks that "he alone is responsible for what happens on board, his crew was obeying his orders and thus cannot be held to account," the lawyer said.
Earlier, another Ukrainian commander, Denys Hrytsenko, said he considered himself to be a prisoner-of-war and refused to testify. His lawyer Nikolai Polozov said the sailor "does not recognize his guilt nor considers himself to be a criminal."