Ukraine charged on April 28 that Russia's effort to have international authorities arrest and extradite former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is "politically motivated."
A Russian court issued an international arrest warrant and extradition request for Yatsenyuk in February, claiming he killed Russian soldiers in Chechnya in the 1990s -- an allegation that Yatsenyuk has called "total absurdity."
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, who said Interpot sent him a copy of the Russian request, said Yatsenyuk has never been to Chechnya.
"Yatsenyuk's persecution by Russia is politically motivated," Avakov said.
Russia was criticized in a Council of Europe report this week for using the Interpol international policing system for political purposes rather than to pursue criminals.
Ukrainian Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko said he believes Interpol will dismiss Russia's request for Yatsenyuk.
Yatsenyuk was a leading figure in the massive protests that drove a Ukrainian president who was friendly to Russia out of office in 2014. He became prime minister and held that office until April 2016.
