Suspects of attempt on Vladimir Putin challenge extradition to Russia at Odessa Court

The Court of Appeal of the Odessa Region considers the complaint, filed by lawyers of Adam Osmaev, who is suspected of preparing the assassination of Vladimir Putin.

On February 4, in the centre of Odessa, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a special operation, during which Adam Osmaev, a native of Northern Caucasus, was detained; the Russian FSB put him on the international wanted list on suspicion of preparing terror acts. On February 27, the prevention of an assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin, prepared by militants from Northern Caucasus, was reported. In April, the Lefortovo Court of Moscow issued a sanction for arrest in absentia of Ilya Pyanzin, a citizen of Kazakhstan, and Adam Osmaev, a native of Grozny, both detained in Odessa. The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has completed the investigation into the criminal case, and, on July 20, the defendants began to get acquainted with the materials of the case.

On August 3, the Malinovsky District Court of Odessa dismissed the complaint, filed by the lawyers of Adam Osmaev, and upheld the legitimacy of the decision of General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine to extradite the Chechen native and his alleged accomplice. The decision of the Ukrainian General Prosecutor's Office became a response to a request from their Russian counterparts of the supervisory authority.

The lawyers of Adam Osmaev filed a complaint to the Odessa Regional Court. On August 10, the Court of Appeal of the Odessa Region of Ukraine began to consider the case on extradition of Adam Osmaev. During the court session, Adam Osmaev retracted his confession, since, according to him, he gave them under pressure of secret services. According to his representatives, he gave confessions, since he was tortured.

At trial, relatives of Adam Osmaev told journalists that in Russia, the defendant would even not bring to prison: "He will be killed on the road while trying to escape."

"The man, who is a figurant of the case as Adam Osmaev, has entered the territory of Ukraine with another person's passport, and he has no any other documents. He has never confirmed that he is Osmaev, no genetic examinations has been held, and the Russian side has not provided investigators with any other evidence of his identity and citizenship," added Valery Kochetov, President of the Odessa Human Right Academy, which represented interests of Amina, the spouse of Adam Osmaev.

According to him, the secret services forced Adam Osmaev to confess planning the assassination of Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, threatening that they would apply strict measures against his father.

"His elderly father is very ill, and Adam was afraid that he would not survive, so, he gave confessions," the "Izvestia" quotes Amina Osmaeva as saying.