Putin pardons Savchenko prior to her departure to Kiev

Vladimir Putin signed a decree to pardon Nadezhda Savchenko, said Dmitri Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, adding that the Russians Alexander Alexandrov and Evgeny Erofeev, convicted in Kiev, had been brought to Moscow.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that today Nadezhda Savchenko has flown to Ukraine from the airport of Rostov-on-Don by the aircraft of the president of Ukraine, specifically sent after her. An informed source has also reported that the aircraft had brought Alexandrov and Erofeev to Rostov-on-Don.

On March 22, the Ukrainian aviatress Nadezhda Savchenko was sentenced to 22 years in colony on charges of involvement in the deaths in Donbas of two Russian journalists and illegal crossing the Russian border. Nadezhda refused to plead guilty.

"Today, an aircraft of the STC (State Transport Company) 'Rossiya' has brought to Moscow's Vnukovo Airport two Russian citizens – Erofeev and Alexandrov, – who had been in Kiev... At the same time, President Putin signed a decree to pardon Savchenko; and she has been already brought to Kiev by a Ukrainian aircraft, sent after her to Rostov," said Dmitri Peskov, as quoted by the TASS.

According to Mr Peskov, the pardon decree of Nadezhda Savchenko was preceded by Vladimir Putin's meeting with relatives of the killed Russian journalists, in whose death she was accused of, the "Interfax" reports.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.