Dmitry Setrakov, who fled to Armenia from Russia to avoid being sent to the war in Ukraine after being mobilized, is currently in police custody in Russia.

Setrakov was arrested in Gyumri by representatives of the 102nd Russian military base and detained there earlier this month.

Armenian law enforcement agencies were still “investigating” the case when Setrakov was sent back to Russia. Armenia’s Prosecutor General's Office (GPO) today issued a statement that it never received a request by Moscow to arrest, detain and extradite Setrakov.

The Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly, quoting a Russian human rights organization, reports that Setrakov was transferred to Russia without any relevant documentation.

Vanadzor office lawyer Ani Chatinyan says if the GPO is to be believed, the transfer was “extra-judicial”.  

Chatinyan says if there was such a petition, it should have been properly considered, and Setrakov would have had the right to apply for asylum in Armenia. Then, new decision would be made whether to allow the extradition or not.

"At the moment, we do not have any supporting documents. We have sent inquiries to law enforcement agencies to find out what actions were taken, which checkpoint Setrakov passed through, and at whose mediation. Before that, after the incident became known, we submitted a crime report to the General Prosecutor's Office," says Chatinyan.