Russia Accuses Kidnapped Ukrainian Of Plotting To Bomb School

20 October 2017 19:55

Russian authorities have accused Pavlo Gryb, a Ukrainian teenager kidnapped in Belarus and secretly transported to Russia, of planning a terrorist attack at a school in the southern city of Sochi.

Investigators claim Gryb, who is being held at a detention center in Krasnodar, attempted to persuade an online female friend to plant explosive devices at secondary school no. 26 in Sochi and set them off during the graduation parade in July, according to a court document seen by Hromadske.

The prosecution also alleges that Gryb supports “the radical nationalist views of the Ukrainian National Assembly – Ukrainian People’s Self-Defense,” a far-right political organization in Ukraine.

Earlier, a Krasnodar court ordered Gryb arrested until January 4, 2018.

Gryb’s case came to light on August 28, when his father, former Ukrainian border guard Ihor Gryb, announced that his son had been abducted by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). According to the elder Gryb, the FSB used the previously mentioned female friend to lure Pavlo to Gomel, where he was subsequently detained.

Around two weeks later, Pavlo Gryb resurfaced in pre-trial detention in Russia.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian doctors traveled to Krasnodar to examine Gryb, who suffers from a chronic illness but were not allowed access to their patient. In response, activists launched a flashmob on Facebook calling for Russia to allow doctors to examine Gryb.

/By Tanya Bednarchyk