海角大神

Ukrainian pilot Lt. Nadiya Savchenko was today after what Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called a 鈥渟hameful show trial.鈥�

Lt. Savchenko was captured by pro-Russian separatist troops in June, 2014, close to the beginning of the military conflict that threw Ukraine and Russia into a state of war.

After nearly two years of captivity, Savchenko was sentenced for allegedly causing the deaths of two Russian journalists by directing mortar fire.

Savchenko has claimed, however, that she was abducted by separatists prior to the attack and that she was innocent. She also claims that abductors took her to Russia against her will.

鈥淢ost people who are familiar with the law of war would not call directing fire at a legitimate military target a war crime,鈥� says Brookings Institution senior fellow and former ambassador to Ukraine, Steven Pifer, in a phone interview with 海角大神.

The situation is bad for all involved, according to Mr. Pifer and Brookings Institution fellow Marvin Kalb. It is, of course, bad for Savchenko, he says, but it is also bad for Russia, which has now created a scenario in which Savchenko could become a martyr.

At home in Ukraine, the pilot is so popular that,聽months after her capture,聽she was in absentia.听

Savchenko has continuously protested against her Russian captors since her trial began last year and has announced her intention of continuing to do so She has committed to months-long hunger strikes in the past, and, in early March,聽 as well as solids.

The captured pilot has also , made obscene gestures, and , the trident, in the courtroom.

鈥淪he鈥檚 obviously a tough, tough girl,鈥� says Mr. Kalb of the 34-year-old pilot, 鈥渂ut she鈥檚 in a terrible position.鈥�

Pifer told the Monitor that the sentencing is, 鈥渟een by many as proof that the Russian government can get the verdicts it wants from Russian courts,鈥� citing the Russian press reports of a guilty verdict before the verdict had even been read as proof.

Reuters reports that President Poroshenko today, saying, "Ukraine will never 鈥� I repeat, never 鈥� recognize either the kangaroo court of Nadezhda Savchenko, nor its so-called sentencing."

Furthermore, both Kalb and Pifer say that if Savchenko were to die during her hunger strike, it will be a major black mark on Russia鈥檚 already sullied record.

World leaders have expressed concern for Savchenko鈥檚 wellbeing.

鈥淚n the 20 months since she was captured in eastern Ukraine and taken to Russia, Ms. Savchenko has reportedly endured interrogations, solitary confinement, and forced 'psychiatric evaluation,'鈥� said US Secretary of State John Kerry in a March 7 statement. 鈥淗er trial and continuing imprisonment demonstrate , as well as for Russia鈥檚 commitments under the Minsk agreements.鈥�

Other world leaders have also called for Savchenko鈥檚 release. In Europe, German Chancellor . The UK鈥檚 Minister for Europe, David Lidington, calling for the pilot鈥檚 release.

鈥淎 dry hunger strike poses a very real and immediate threat to Ms Savchenko鈥檚 life,鈥� said Minister Lidington. 鈥淚 strongly urge the Russian Government to show compassion and release her immediately.鈥�

Ukraine has also called repeatedly for Savchenko鈥檚 release. President Poroshenko has gone so far as to offer a trade.

鈥淚 am ready to hand over two Russian servicemen detained in our territory for their participation in the armed aggression against Ukraine,鈥� said Poroshenko.

The prisoner exchange that Poroshenko has suggested is perhaps the best way for Russia to solve its difficult problem of reconciling its national image with its desire to punish Savchenko.

鈥淚t is a logical way out of a difficult problem [for Russia],鈥� says Kalb. 鈥淪he鈥檚 become a national hero. As a result, the Russians are uncertain what to do with her.

According to Kalb, Russia鈥檚 response could depend on how sensitive Putin is to the negative press that Savchenko鈥檚 imprisonment is generating.

In 2014, Savchenko鈥檚 sister Vira told Radio Free Europe that her sister had , joining the army at 16 to accomplish her dream.听