MOSCOW, August 2 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine’s Interior Ministry has informed Russia’s envoy to Kiev that it is summoning a range of senior Russian officials, including the country’s defense minister, for questioning into the alleged funding of illegal armed groups, the ministry’s press service said Saturday.
“A notice has been sent to Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov on summoning Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Gennady Zyuganov, Sergei Mironov, Sergei Shoigu and Konstantin Malofeyev to report on suspicions and be questioned as suspects,” the ministry said in a statement.
In late July, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry launched a criminal case against Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and businessman Konstantin Malofeyev into alleged establishment of armed groups.
Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Russia's Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov also are suspects in the case.
In remarks to Ukraine’s move, Zyuganov told RIA Novosti: “I believe the current Kiev authorities are absolutely unlawful. They seized power by force. They are the criminals who unleashed the war against their own people. And I have nothing to talk about with criminals.”
The Communist Party leader said the Kiev authorities will have to be held accountable as they have “blood on their hands.”
Russia notified Interpol on Friday that it had submitted documents to issue an international arrest warrant for Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi, Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika said.
The Russian Investigative Committee earlier identified 2,700 victims in the criminal cases in the Ukrainian crisis, accusing Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and Dnipropetrovsk Region Governor Kolomoyskyi of organizing unlawful massacres.
