Ukrainian govt doing nothing for release of journalist abducted in Syria - insurgents
KYIV. Dec 18 (Interfax) - Syrian insurgents are saying that the Ukrainian authorities are not doing anything to facilitate the release of journalist Ankhar Kochneva, who is a Ukrainian citizen who was recently abducted in Syria, TSN news service reported on the Ukrainian television channel 1+1 on Monday.
"When we were negotiating with the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian embassy, they did not deliver on their promises and did not do anything to release Ankhar. In this situation, we decided to kill this girl," the commander of the insurgent group that abducted Kochneva said in an interview shown on 1+1 television.
Kochneva was to be executed on December 16, but the insurgents decided to give her "another chance," TSN quoted members of the insurgent group as saying.
They also said they did not need money, but they never formulated their demands for Ukraine to comply with so that Kochneva be released.
"This girl has long been with us, because nobody responded to our messages and questions as to what we could be offered in exchange for her release," they said.
The insurgents also explained that their earlier threats did not concern all citizens of Ukraine, but only "those who are doing nothing to help their citizens."
TSN said it intended to pass the interview with Syrian insurgents to the Foreign Ministry.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Dykusarov told Interfax on October 15 that insurgents abducted a Ukrainian woman who was acting as an interpreter for a Russian TV channel working in Syria.
The same day, President Viktor Yanukovych instructed the Foreign Ministry and other government agencies to take measures to secure Kochneva's release.