Nobel winner Alexievich slams Russia's 'political' trial of Ukrainian pilot
Minsk, Dec 2, 2015 (AFP) -- Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich, this year's Nobel Literature Prize winner, on Wednesday slammed Russia's "political trial" of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko and compared her to Joan of Arc.
Savchenko, a military helicopter pilot, faces up to 20 years in jail in Russia for the murder of two Russian television journalists in war-torn eastern Ukraine last year in a trial that has caused outrage in Kiev and the West.
In Ukraine, Savchenko is feted as a national heroine and Western leaders and rights groups have called for her release.
She has denied any guilt at her high-profile trial in southern Russia, which continued Wednesday, and says Russia smuggled her across its border.
Alexievich -- who won the Nobel prize in October for her verbatim accounts of World War II and the Chernobyl disaster -- went to the Ukrainian embassy in Minsk to hand over a letter to Savchenko and three of her books.
Speaking to Ukraine's acting ambassador in Belarus, Valery Dzhigun, Alexievich condemned Savchenko's "political trial," saying she hoped the Ukrainian officer would be released or handed back to Kiev in a prisoner swap.
"I am so impressed by Nadiya Savchenko. She's a real soldier," said Alexievich, who has fiercely criticised President Vladimir Putin's rule and his intervention in Ukraine.
"She turned out to be a real Ukrainian Joan of Arc. Today, Nadezhda is a symbol of the Ukrainian people," Alexievich said, using the Russian form of her name.
The Nobel prize ceremony will take place on December 10.
The so-called “DPR” head Aleksandr Zakharchenko conducted an impromptu inspection of a local market in Donetsk, according to a video published on YouTube on December 1.
With at least six armed men around him, a cigarette in hand, Zakharchenko decided to check if one of the market scales is in order by placing his 1943 gun on it. “It is the best way to check a scale,” he said.
The scale appeared to be rigged, so Zakharchenko placed his bodyguard’s gun on the scale too -- the screen, apparently, only showed 15 grams. The “DPR” head scolded the vendor for deceiving his customers.
Here is today's map of the situation in the Donbas conflict region, courtesy of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry (CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE):
Here's an item from our news desk:
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says his government will spend five percent of gross domestic product on defense and security next year, in a bid to strengthen the army in its fight against pro-Russian separatists in the east.
Poroshenko said on December 2 that his government plans to spend about 14 percent of the government budget, or 100 billion hryvnyas, on defense and security in 2016.
Ukraine spent 90 billion hryvnyas ($3.75 billion) this year.
The conflict has killed more than 7,900 people so far. After a period of relative calm, both sides have complained of increased cease-fire violations and use of heavy artillery that was meant to have been withdrawn under the terms of a truce deal.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on December 2 that there is a "real risk" hostilities will flare up again in eastern Ukraine.
"Russian-backed separatists have not yet withdrawn their troops and equipment, illegal groups in eastern Ukraine have not been disarmed, and Ukraine has not been able to reestablish control over its border," he added.
(dpa, Reuters)