Poland extradites Austrian suspected of killing unarmed prisoners in Ukraine – The Local Austria
Members of the Donbass Battalion, a volunteer militia group devoted to ensuring a united Ukraine, look for pro-Russian separatists in the village of Shyrokyne. Photo: AFP
An Austrian suspected of war crimes in eastern Ukraine has been extradited from Poland, Austrian prosecutors said Tuesday.
The 25-year-old, named as Benjamin F., was detained in late April at thePolish border post of Dorohusk as he was trying to cross over into Ukraine.
The ex-Austrian army soldier is alleged to have killed unarmed prisonerswhile fighting on the Ukrainian side against Russia-backed separatists in May 2016.
Austrian authorities had issued a European arrest warrant in February afterhe gave an interview to Austrian newspaper Der Kurier about his activities inUkraine.
The suspect was extraditedon Mondayand is "currently in police custody",said Erich Habitzl, spokesman for the prosecutor's office.
More than 10,000 people have been killed since the start of a pro-Russianinsurgency in April 2014 which Kiev and the West accuse Moscow ofmasterminding.
Although the violence has ebbed in the wake of several ceasefire accords,efforts to secure a peace deal have ground to a halt amid sporadic clashes,and neither side appears prepared to make concessions.
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Poland extradites Austrian suspected of killing unarmed prisoners in Ukraine - The Local Austria