______________________________
The Ukraine called on the Syrian authorities to take decisive steps to free Ankhar Kochneva, a Ukrainian journalist kidnapped in Syria on 10 October. Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Aleksandr Dikusarov said that Kiev expected tangible results from actions to secure a safe release of the Ukrainian reporter, saying, “The Ukraine demands an immediate release of Ankhar Kochneva, and we’ll take action to get the issue of violence against a civilian into the international discussion”. He added that the Ukraine hoped that the international community would harshly condemn and punish this act of rebel violence. Kochneva worked as an interpreter for a Russian TV crew when Syrian militants kidnapped her. The same day, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich gave instructions to his ministry of Foreign Affairs to do everything possible to free Kochneva.
Syrian militants are threatening to execute journalist Ankhar Kochneva, and they’ve demanded 50 million USD (1.54 billion Roubles. 38 million Euros. 31 million UK Pounds) for her life. The ultimatum signed by the field commanders of the paramilitary wing of the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) expires on 13 December. The FSA said that Kochneva’s a “Ukrainian spy”. Kochneva, a Ukrainian citizen, lived in Russia for the past ten years. In January 2012, she went to Syria to work as a journalist and translator. Kochneva wrote many interesting and exciting reports for Russian media outlets. VOR contacted her when it needed commentary on the situation in Syrian hot spots, including Homs. Whenever a call from Moscow came, Kochneva was always at her post.
Her reports differed from the picture presented by al Jazeera and other media outlets that supported the Syrian rebels. Most likely, precisely, her objective views on the developments in Syria pushed the militants to kidnap her on 7 October. In a 28 November video address, she asked the Russian and Ukrainian governments to fulfil the kidnappers’ demands. For their part, a number of Russian media outlets urged Syrian ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad to do everything in his power to free Kochneva as soon as possible.
A head of a Russian NGO, Darya Mitina, said, “The Russian Committee of Solidarity with the Peoples of Libya and Syria made efforts in this direction. The ultimatum, delivered by the militants urges the parties concerned to search for substantive solutions, as well as for a progression towards talks. Regrettably, for the time being, the means to influence the militants are limited. We’ve requested international human rights and press freedom agencies to pay continued attention to this topic on both radio and television. There’s little information about the kidnapping, taking into account the role Kochneva played in the public information space”.
An expert with the Institute of Oriental Studies, Vladimir Isayev, said, “As a rule, no details are given about talks with kidnappers or about ransom terms. Judging by the facts, talks are currently under way. Russia has established contact with the Syrian opposition. Some time ago, talks with opposition representatives were held in Moscow. However, I don’t think that they’re involved in the kidnapping. Therefore, I don’t know whether Russia has any possibility or any contacts to influence the opposition, and, thus, to ensure the release of Ankhar Kochneva. On the other hand, Russia can appeal to all those who support the Syrian opposition… for example, to Turkey, with which top-level talks were recently held”.
A week after Kochneva was kidnapped, Ukrainian President Yanukovich gave instructions to his aides to do everything possible for secure her release. This occurred on 15 October. No other reports about Kiev’s stance have come since then.
A group of Syrian rebels threatened to kill a Ukrainian journalist captured on 9 October if they don’t receive ransom for her., Darya Mitina, the journalist’s friend and former KPRF Gosduma deputy told reporters, “The deadline for the ransom payment is 13 December 2012. If the money isn’t paid by that time, they’ll kill her as a ‘Ukrainian spy’”. Kochneva’s relatives confirmed that the kidnappers contacted them and demanded ransom, but they said that they didn’t believe 13 December was the deadline. Kochneva’s nephew Dmitri was cited as saying, “I have no detail of negotiations to free my aunt. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that they’re working on it, but we don’t know exactly what’s being done”.
Ankhar Kochneva, a Ukrainian journalist who went missing in Syria on 10 October, contacted her relatives for the first time on Sunday, saying she hoped everything would be fine and asking them not to call her. Kochneva’s ex-husband Dmitri Petrov told Izvestiya that he’d received an SMS from the journalist’s phone number reading, “I hope for the best. Don’t message me”. A similar text was reportedly sent to one of her friends. In it, Kochneva also mentioned that she’d been kidnapped. The Russian Embassy in Damascus had the active support of the Ukrainian government in their search for the 40-year-old, who was an active supporter of the Assad régime. Allegedly, Syrian rebels abducted her in the outskirts of Homs. Russian journalist Yelena Gromova, a close friend, told us that Kochneva often received threatening messages from the Syrian opposition on social networking sites.
Sergei Marov, spokesman of the Russian Embassy in Damascus, said that Ankhar Kochneva, a journalist kidnapped in Syria, was a Ukrainian national, noting, “It’s become known to the Russian Embassy that she’s a Ukrainian citizen. She wasn’t accredited to work here [in Syria]”. Mr Markov said the Russian diplomatic mission was closely cooperating with Ukrainian officials looking for the journalist. Ankhar Kochneva went missing on 9 October. Her friend Darya Mitina said she was last seen 20 kilometres (@12 miles) from the city of Homs.
15 December 2012
Voice of Russia World Service
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_12_15/Western-backed-Free-Syrian-Army-has-crossed-the-line/
Voices from Russia 
The “Free Syrian Army” Continues to Hold Ukrainian Reporter Hostage
Tags: American terrorism, Bashar al-Assad, European Union, Free Syrian Army, FSA, global war on terror, global war on terrorism, Iran, kidnapping, Middle East, Middle Eastern, political commentary, politics, Russia, Russian, Syria, Syrian Civil War, terror, terrorism, terrorist, terrorists, Ukraine, United States, USA, War on Terror, War on Terrorism
______________________________
The Ukraine called on the Syrian authorities to take decisive steps to free Ankhar Kochneva, a Ukrainian journalist kidnapped in Syria on 10 October. Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Aleksandr Dikusarov said that Kiev expected tangible results from actions to secure a safe release of the Ukrainian reporter, saying, “The Ukraine demands an immediate release of Ankhar Kochneva, and we’ll take action to get the issue of violence against a civilian into the international discussion”. He added that the Ukraine hoped that the international community would harshly condemn and punish this act of rebel violence. Kochneva worked as an interpreter for a Russian TV crew when Syrian militants kidnapped her. The same day, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich gave instructions to his ministry of Foreign Affairs to do everything possible to free Kochneva.
Syrian militants are threatening to execute journalist Ankhar Kochneva, and they’ve demanded 50 million USD (1.54 billion Roubles. 38 million Euros. 31 million UK Pounds) for her life. The ultimatum signed by the field commanders of the paramilitary wing of the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) expires on 13 December. The FSA said that Kochneva’s a “Ukrainian spy”. Kochneva, a Ukrainian citizen, lived in Russia for the past ten years. In January 2012, she went to Syria to work as a journalist and translator. Kochneva wrote many interesting and exciting reports for Russian media outlets. VOR contacted her when it needed commentary on the situation in Syrian hot spots, including Homs. Whenever a call from Moscow came, Kochneva was always at her post.
Her reports differed from the picture presented by al Jazeera and other media outlets that supported the Syrian rebels. Most likely, precisely, her objective views on the developments in Syria pushed the militants to kidnap her on 7 October. In a 28 November video address, she asked the Russian and Ukrainian governments to fulfil the kidnappers’ demands. For their part, a number of Russian media outlets urged Syrian ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad to do everything in his power to free Kochneva as soon as possible.
A head of a Russian NGO, Darya Mitina, said, “The Russian Committee of Solidarity with the Peoples of Libya and Syria made efforts in this direction. The ultimatum, delivered by the militants urges the parties concerned to search for substantive solutions, as well as for a progression towards talks. Regrettably, for the time being, the means to influence the militants are limited. We’ve requested international human rights and press freedom agencies to pay continued attention to this topic on both radio and television. There’s little information about the kidnapping, taking into account the role Kochneva played in the public information space”.
An expert with the Institute of Oriental Studies, Vladimir Isayev, said, “As a rule, no details are given about talks with kidnappers or about ransom terms. Judging by the facts, talks are currently under way. Russia has established contact with the Syrian opposition. Some time ago, talks with opposition representatives were held in Moscow. However, I don’t think that they’re involved in the kidnapping. Therefore, I don’t know whether Russia has any possibility or any contacts to influence the opposition, and, thus, to ensure the release of Ankhar Kochneva. On the other hand, Russia can appeal to all those who support the Syrian opposition… for example, to Turkey, with which top-level talks were recently held”.
A week after Kochneva was kidnapped, Ukrainian President Yanukovich gave instructions to his aides to do everything possible for secure her release. This occurred on 15 October. No other reports about Kiev’s stance have come since then.
A group of Syrian rebels threatened to kill a Ukrainian journalist captured on 9 October if they don’t receive ransom for her., Darya Mitina, the journalist’s friend and former KPRF Gosduma deputy told reporters, “The deadline for the ransom payment is 13 December 2012. If the money isn’t paid by that time, they’ll kill her as a ‘Ukrainian spy’”. Kochneva’s relatives confirmed that the kidnappers contacted them and demanded ransom, but they said that they didn’t believe 13 December was the deadline. Kochneva’s nephew Dmitri was cited as saying, “I have no detail of negotiations to free my aunt. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that they’re working on it, but we don’t know exactly what’s being done”.
Ankhar Kochneva, a Ukrainian journalist who went missing in Syria on 10 October, contacted her relatives for the first time on Sunday, saying she hoped everything would be fine and asking them not to call her. Kochneva’s ex-husband Dmitri Petrov told Izvestiya that he’d received an SMS from the journalist’s phone number reading, “I hope for the best. Don’t message me”. A similar text was reportedly sent to one of her friends. In it, Kochneva also mentioned that she’d been kidnapped. The Russian Embassy in Damascus had the active support of the Ukrainian government in their search for the 40-year-old, who was an active supporter of the Assad régime. Allegedly, Syrian rebels abducted her in the outskirts of Homs. Russian journalist Yelena Gromova, a close friend, told us that Kochneva often received threatening messages from the Syrian opposition on social networking sites.
Sergei Marov, spokesman of the Russian Embassy in Damascus, said that Ankhar Kochneva, a journalist kidnapped in Syria, was a Ukrainian national, noting, “It’s become known to the Russian Embassy that she’s a Ukrainian citizen. She wasn’t accredited to work here [in Syria]”. Mr Markov said the Russian diplomatic mission was closely cooperating with Ukrainian officials looking for the journalist. Ankhar Kochneva went missing on 9 October. Her friend Darya Mitina said she was last seen 20 kilometres (@12 miles) from the city of Homs.
15 December 2012
Voice of Russia World Service
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_12_15/Western-backed-Free-Syrian-Army-has-crossed-the-line/
Share this:
Related