Trial of Russian GRU officers adjourned until March 15

The Holosiivskyi district court of Kyiv has postponed the hearing of the case of Russia's GRU officers Yevgeniy Yerofeyev and Alexander Aleksandrov until March 15, 10:30 a.m.

Censor.NET reports citing Ukrainski Novyny.

According to lawyer Oksana Sokolovska, the postponement is due to the absence from court of lawyer Yurii Hrabovskyi, who she has failed to get in touch with since March 7.

As reported earlier, Russia's GRU officers Aleksandrov and Yerofeyev were captured by Ukrainian soldiers near the town of Shchastia on May 16, 2015. On May 20, they were charged with suspicion of involvement in terrorist activity in the so-called "LPR."

On May 22, the Shevchenkivskyi district court of Kyiv remanded the aforementioned officers in a 2-month custody.

In a conversation with OSCE SMM monitors, Yerofeyev and Aleksandrov admitted they had previously performed tasks in eastern Ukraine, following orders of Russia's military leadership.

Earlier, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Major-General Igor Konashenkov said the MOD expected the detained Russian citizens to be released, noting that Yerofeyev and Aleksandrov were "former" Russian military. In turn, Putin's press secretary Peskov demanded the release of the Russian soldiers.