The Russian Foreign Ministry slammed on Thursday the recent move to add Russian Deputy Justice Minister Mikhail Galperin and UK Brick Court Chambers lawyer Michael Swainston to the Ukrainian Myrotvorets (Peacemaker) database.
"We see this move as an attempt by Myrotvorets authors and curators to influence this trial through threats and intimidation," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry firmly condemned "the illegal activities of the far-right information resource," calling on Kiev to immediately suppress it.
"We are also calling on responsible international organizations and human rights structures to at last provide a proper estimate of Myrotvorets activities and to put joint pressure on Kiev for the sake of prompt closure of the website," the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.
So far, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has refused to provide any official comment on the matter.
Mikhail Galperin is representing Russia in the European Court of Human Rights and was dealing with Ukraine's allegations of human rights violations in Crimea by Russia prior to being added to the database.
Speaking at the ECHR hearing on 11 September, Mikhail Galperin said that Kiev’s complaints were political in effect, refused claims of human rights abuses, and argued that Russian troops prevented violence but did not control the territory at the time of the vote. It appears that this stand was what earned him the wrath of Myrotvorets.
The infamous Myrotvorets (Peacemaker) platform was established in 2014 after a coup occurred in Ukraine and Crimea decided to rejoin Russia. The database publishes private information on people deemed 'enemies of Ukraine,' including home addresses and phone numbers.
In 2015, former Ukrainian lawmaker Oleg Kalashnikov and journalist Oles Buzina were killed in Kiev after their information was published by Myrotvorets, while many others have faced countless threats and attempts at intimidation.