Bastrykin ordered an inquiry to determine why several Rosatom employees could not return home from Ukraine, prompting concern over travel constraints and contractual duties amid a tense regional backdrop.
The head of Russia’s Commission of Inquiry, Alexander Bastrykin, instructed a pre-investigation after learning that a group of Rosatom specialists were unable to leave Ukraine to rejoin their families and teams in Russia. The Commission was informed that four Rosatom experts had been deployed to the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant in the Rivne region under contractual obligations, but since February 23 they have remained on Ukrainian soil and have not been able to return to their homeland or resume their official duties.
Bastrykin indicated that if the preliminary checks uncover sufficient evidence, the next step could involve initiating a criminal case based on the findings of the inquiry. This potential legal step would hinge on whether the facts justify formal proceedings and whether any rights protected by law have been violated in the process.
Earlier actions by Bastrykin included ordering a criminal investigation into Latvian officials who detained a Russian-speaking blogger in Riga. The Commission of Inquiry condemned Kirill Fedorov’s detention as a serious violation of human rights and a direct limitation on freedom of expression within Latvia, a move that has drawn international attention and sparked debates about treatment of journalists and online commentators across borders.
[Citation: Lenta]