MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th September, 2021) Moscow expects the Czech authorities to promptly release Russian citizen Alexander Franchetti, who was detained earlier in September on a Ukrainian warrant, and not to allow politicizing his case to please Kiev, Russian Foreign Ministry's Third European Department Director Oleg Tyapkin said in an interview with Sputnik.
Franchetti is wanted in Ukraine due to his alleged role in the 2014 reunification of Crimea with Russia.
The Franchetti case "does not add anything positive to the Russian-Czech relations, which are going through a difficult period thanks to Prague's effort," Tyapkin noted.
"We certainly take this into consideration in our contacts. We hope that the Czech side will not allow politicization of the Alexander Franchetti case to please Kiev. We expect the Czech authorities to release the Russian citizen as soon as possible. The Russian Embassy in Prague maintains close contact with Alexander Franchetti, his Czech lawyer and his relatives," Tyapkin added.
