Imprisoned Ukrainian military pilot Nadezhda Savchenko will begin a dry hunger strike on Wednesday in protest against her 22-year prison sentence, her defense team confirmed on Monday, the state-run TASS news agency reported.
The sentence ?€” imposed by a Russian court after Savchenko was found guilty of colluding in the deaths of two Russian journalists ?€” comes into effect today. Savchenko has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the court?€™s verdict, but also stated she will not appeal it.
"Savchenko will declare a dry hunger strike on April 6," her lawyer Nikolai Polozov said on Sunday, TASS reported. "She demands immediate return to Ukraine."
On Monday her lawyer Mark Feygin posted on Twitter a letter from Savchenko that reiterated her wish to return to Ukraine.
"As a response to the criminal actions of the Russian authorities against me and against Ukraine, I declare a dry strike beginning from April 6, 2016,?€? the letter read.
In response to questions on the issue of Savchenko?€™s future, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no decision had yet been made.
?€?It is not the Kremlin?€™s prerogative to control the conditions or eating habits of prisoners,?€? he said, the RBC news agency reported.