Ukraine Accused of Allowing Foreign Nations to Kidnap Refugees

Three cases of asylum-seekers being seized by the countries they were fleeing from

Ukraine has been accused of allowing other states to abduct and repatriate their own nationals who have sought refugee status in the former Soviet republic, in contravention of international rights governing refugees.

Three prominent cases in as many years involving people from Russia, Palestine and Uzbekistan, which share many disturbing similarities, prompted strong criticism of Ukraine from human rights groups.

The latest case involved an anti-Putin activist, Leonid Razvozzhayev, who said he was seized by masked men on the streets of Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, and whisked across the border to Russia. He initially admitted plotting an uprising across Russia but later denied it, saying he had made the statement under pressure.