The prisoner of the Kremlin, the Ukrainian Andrei Kolomiets, who is being held in the Russian colony, recently has received greeting cards with New Year congratulations from the officials: the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavel Klimkin. Also, the Ukrainian has received a letter from the representatives of the European Parliament.
Most likely, the delay is due to the fact that the letters are severely censored by the colony administration.
In total, during his imprisonment in the Russian colony, the Ukrainian has received 35 letters with the words of encouragement.
These are letters and postcards from Ukraine, Russia, Canada, Germany, France, Belgium and other countries. Mr. Kolomiets receives letters both from public organizations and people who care.
“Andrei keeps all the letters. Thanks to these letters he knows that they remember him and fight for him. These letters give Andrei hope that justice will win, and he will be free. Andrei received New Year congratulations only in spring, but he was very glad that he was congratulated,” — said the wife of Ukrainian Galina Kolomiets (Zalikhanova).
Not all letters sent to political prisoners reach the addressees or reach them with a great delay, as they pass strict censorship. Therefore, if you decided to write to someone from Ukrainian political prisoners, use our recommendations: write in Russian, as Ukrainian letters do not reach Russian colonies, do not write about politics, and do not ask about incarceration conditions in the colony or Remand Prison.
Being under the most severe pressure of the Russian repressive machine, it is important for our political prisoners to receive the support of Ukrainians and the international community.
Letters to political prisoners are an important tool that allows to restrain the pressure on political prisoners by the power structures of the Russian Federation.
Let’s recall that Andrei Kolomiets, a resident of the Kiev region, born in 1993, was convicted on June 10th and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in a strict regime colony. He was accused of attempted murder of two former Berkut employees during the events on Maidan in Kiev, according to several articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: Art. 105 of the Criminal Code — killing of two or more persons (unfinished), art. 228 — possession of narcotic drugs, art. 30 — attempted crime. The Ukrainian was detained in the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria, and then transported to Crimea. Human rights activists said that the case was completely fabricated and politically motivated. The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine denied the fact of participation of the Ukrainian Andrei Kolomiets in attacks on the “Berkut”.
In violation of the norms of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, which prohibits movement of citizens of Ukraine and persons in the occupied territory against their will from the territory of Crimea to the territory of the Russian Federation to places of confinement, Mr. Kolomiets was sent to correctional colony No. 14 in the Krasnodar Krai.
The colony’s address: 58 Kalinin st., Krasnodar, Krasnodar Krai, Russia 350039
