Twenty-four copies of Ukrainian military pilot Nadezhda Savchenko's book have been seized from her younger sister at the Russian border, the pilot's lawyer Ilya Novikov wrote on Twitter on Monday.
“Vera has had trouble at the Russian border again. Two packets of books were seized,” he tweeted, adding that the older Savchenko's writings were to be investigated over fears they contained “extremist” content.
In another tweet, he suggested that the book cover — containing an offensive term which has attached itself to Russian President Vladimir Putin — might have been one of the reasons for the confiscation.
А главное - ну какой там экстремизм? Ну напечатано на обложке "Путин - хуйло!", подумаешь, делов-то #FreeSavchenko pic.twitter.com/zIJ93rqSmp
Savchenko's sister Vera had previously reported on Facebook that a Russian border guard denied her entry into Russia until 2020, quoting an order from the country's Federal Security Service.
The incident drew sharp criticism from Savchenko's defense team, who at the time relied on Vera as their sole witness, and from Ukrainian authorities. She was later allowed to enter Russia and give testimony.
The elder Savchenko went on trial in southern Russia's Rostov region on Sept. 22. She faces 25 years in jail if found guilty of complicity in the killing of two Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine before crossing into Russia illegally.
The pilot has said she was spirited into Russia by pro-Moscow separatists after being captured in June 2014.
On Aug. 1, Novikov wrote on his Facebook page that Savchenko's book — which he referred to as “funny and readable, similar to [modern Russian author] Alexander Pokrovsky's 'Sea Stories'” — had already gone to print in Ukraine.
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