Moscow expects the Czech authorities to release Alexander Franchetti as soon as possible, and also expects that this case will not be politicized to please Kiev, Director of the third European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Oleg Tyapkin said, RIA Novosti reports.
“We expect the Czech authorities to release the Russian citizen as soon as possible. The Russian Embassy in Prague is in close contact with Alexander fRanchetti, his Czech lawyer and relatives,” Tyapkin commented on the situation.
In addition, Tyapkin raised the issue of the monument to Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev, saying that a decision on the fate of the monument that suits both sides is one of the conditions for restoring constructive dialogue between Russia and the Czech Republic.
According to him, the Russian side was working on various options for the worthy placement of the sculpture, including the transfer to the memorial to Soviet soldiers at the Prague cemetery.
Earlier it was reported that the detention of a citizen of the Russian Federation on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by Kiev is connected with his active participation in 2014 in the events that led to the annexation of Crimea to Russia. According to Czech lawyers, consideration of the issue of Franchetti’s extradition to Ukraine may take about a year.