The Investigation Department of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine has opened criminal proceedings against the Ukrainian nationalist organization C14 (Sich) over the detention of Brazilian mercenary Rafael Lusvarghi, who earlier confessed in fighting on the side of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Repiblic" in Donbas.
Lusvarghi's lawyer Valentyn Rybin posted a copy of the SBU's response to his request.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian nationalists on May 4 caught a Brazilian mercenary, Lusvarghi, who fought on the side of Russian-led forces in Donbas. First he was put on his knees and forced to apologize before Ukrainians for participating in military aggression against Ukraine, and then he was taken to the SBU.
The SBU went on to carry on procedural actions with the Brazilian national.
The foreigner was supposed to be part of a December 2017 exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war, therefore a Ukrainian court had released him despite his 13-year imprisonment sentence.
Lusvarghi's lawyer Valentin Rybin says his defendant was unable to return to Brazil because "the Ukrainian authorities had not given the passport and travel documents back to the Brazilian."
Lusvarghi's retrial was expected to begin on June 6, but after the incident, it was rescheduled for May 7.
On May 7, Pavlohrad district court of Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region took Lusvarghi into custody. He will remain in custody for the next 60 days.
