Lyudmyla Denisova, the Ukrainian parliament’s human rights ombudsman, responded to the Wednesday ruling of Djankoi local court in Crimea that unlawfully sentenced the Ukrainian national Yevheniy Dobrynsky to 3,5 years in prison for alleged illegal entry and smuggling drugs.

The Ukrainian official condemned the fabricated case against the Ukrainian in her statement on Facebook.

“The evidence presented by the defendant’s lawyers proved the Ukrainian serviceman not guilty. I deem it as unacceptable to persecute Ukrainian citizens who made it their constitutional duty to defend independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” stated the obmudsman, condemning acts of the occupation administration that “continues to violate international agreements and norms of international law.”

Calling for release of the illegally detained, Lyudmila Denisova urged the international community to increase pressure on the Russian Federation to make it stop unlawful persecution and trials of Ukrainian citizens.