Ukrainian biologist arrested in Crimea for supporting krill fishing restrictions
Kyiv • UNN
70-year-old Ukrainian biologist Leonid Pshenichnov has been arrested in occupied Crimea. He is accused of "treason" for supporting restrictions on Antarctic krill fishing, which allegedly harms Russia's economic interests.
In temporarily occupied Crimea, 70-year-old Ukrainian biologist Leonid Pshenichnov was arrested. The terrorist state accuses the scientist of "treason" for supporting restrictions on Antarctic krill fishing. This was reported by The Guardian, informs UNN.
Details
The publication indicates that 70-year-old Leonid Pshenichnov, a Ukrainian biologist and Antarctic expert, has many years of experience in scientific research and contributions to nature conservation, including supporting marine protected areas in the region.
He was preparing to travel to Australia to participate in a conference on the protection of Antarctic marine life when he was arrested in Russian-occupied Crimea, accused of high treason.
The scientist is described as a "citizen of the Russian Federation" who "sided with the enemy" by assisting the Ukrainian delegation at an Antarctic conference organized by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in Hobart, Tasmania.
The document accuses the scientist of using his research to undermine Russian krill fishing in Antarctica by encouraging, through a Ukrainian proposal, krill fishing restrictions that "will harm Russia's economic interests."
On the opening day of the conference, Ukraine's Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Miroshnychenko, expressed his "deep shock" to the delegates upon learning of the scientist's "illegal imprisonment" and called on other parties to the commission, which includes Australia, the United States, Japan, Russia, and China, to condemn Moscow's actions.
Is it acceptable for the CCAMLR community to watch a Ukrainian biologist, who has dedicated his life to the study, conservation, and rational use of Antarctic marine living resources, face persecution and imprisonment by Russia?
He emphasized that Pshenichnov is a scientist, not an official or politician, "these are fabricated charges, his detention is baseless."
He was forced to obtain a Russian passport while with his family in temporarily occupied Crimea, and was arbitrarily charged with "threatening the security of the Russian Federation."
In turn, Australia stated that it was "seriously concerned" by the scientist's detention by Russia, while the United Kingdom called on Moscow to release "all arbitrarily detained civilians." Fellow researchers said Pshenichnov was a scientist of "outstanding" caliber and a "very good" person. His detention was "unbelievable," representatives of these countries said, adding that since their colleague had health problems, they "were all very concerned."
For reference
CCAMLR, an international commission of 27 members established by the 1982 convention, is meeting to discuss the creation of a marine protected area (MPA) around the Antarctic Peninsula to protect krill, a small crustacean that is one of the main food sources in the Southern Ocean.
China and Russia, which have blocked the creation of MPAs in the region for decades, are accused by analysts and environmentalists of working together to weaken krill fishing restrictions. This year, for the first time, the amount of krill caught in Antarctic waters reached a level that scientists consider unacceptable.
Recall
Recently, in Rostov-on-Don, Russians sentenced Yana Suvorova, the administrator of the Telegram channel "Melitopol is Ukraine," to 14 years. She was accused of terrorism.