Moscow: According to a Moscow court on Saturday, a US citizen who is also a musician and a former paratrooper has been imprisoned in Russia on suspicion of planning a drug trafficking operation.
According to a statement made on the Telegram messaging app by Moscow’s courts of general jurisdiction, “On June 10, 2023, Moscow’s Khamovniki District Court took a measure of restraint against a U.S. citizen.”
“The former paratrooper and musician will remain in custody until August 6, 2023. He is accused of operating a drug dealing operation involving children.” Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
According to the Russian Interfax news agency, the individual may spend up to 12 years in prison if found guilty. A request for comment was not immediately answered by the US State Department.
Meanwhile, Ukraine President Zelensky has said that a counteroffensive was taking place as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Kyiv and criticized Moscow over flooding from the breached dam, Western media reported on Saturday.
“Counteroffensive are underway in Ukraine: at which phase I will not share more details,” Ukrainian President said at a joint press conference in Kyiv with Prime Minister Trudeau.
He made the comments after Russian President Putin claimed that Ukraine’s long-expected counteroffensive was already weakening.
Moscow has reported thwarting attacks of Ukrainian forces in the east and south. Zelensky said, “It is interesting what Putin said regarding our counteroffensive. It is significant that Moscow always feels this: that they (Russia) do not have long left, in my view,”.
He said that he was in daily contact with army commanders, including military chief Valery Zaluzhny”.
Trudeau made his second surprise trip to Kyiv since war broke out in February 2022. Canada has provided Kyiv with military aid, trained over 36,000 forces and adopted sanctions against Russia.
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau condemned Moscow’s role in the destruction of Kakhovka dam in Ukraine on Tuesday. Kyiv accuses Moscow of blowing up the dam, while Russia says Ukraine fired on it.
Zelenksy asked international organizations to come to the assistance of those in Russian-occupied regions. Trudeau said his country would provide 500 million Canadian dollars in new aid for army assistance to Kyiv. He also promised Canada would be part of the international efforts to train Ukraine’s fighter pilots.
