PACE prolonged sanctions against Russia until April and requested to freeze Savchenko within 24 hour

Russia replied that “we don’t trade Savchenko” and left PACE until the end of 2015.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided to suspend Russia’s right to vote; in response Russian delegation announced that it was terminating its participation in the Assembly till the end of the year.

"I would like to point out that so far Russia has not envisaged the possibility of quitting the Council of Europe. Now the PACE’s decision has made such a possibility an issue of the day. Russia’s participation in the Council of Europe would be considered at the end of 2015 depending on the political situation that will emerge by then," TASS quotes Alexei Pushkov, the chairman of the State Duma Committee on international affairs.

Ukrainian Irina Gerashchenko informed that until April 2015 powers of the Russian delegation in PACE are not affirmed, and the Assembly will revert to this question in April. By that time Russia is to fulfill the PACE resolution.

The resolution has a request, asking Russia to release a member of Ukrainian Parliamentary delegation in PACE Nadezhda Savchenko within 24 hours and provide her return to Ukraine or a third party. Pavel Klimkin, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, wrote about it in Twitter.

“PACE adopted an amendment to the resolution, where it enacted to release Nadezhda Savchenko within 24 hours”, - Klimkin informed.

Earlier the Chairman of State Duma of the Russian Federation Sergei Naryshkin, announced that the release of the national deputy Nadezhda Savchenko under pressure is inadmissible.

The resolution also requests for Russia to release all captives and hostages, who are kept at the territory of the Russian Federation illegally, return control over the Ukrainian border to the Ukrainian border guards.