Russian Diplomats Apply For Burkov's Extradition - Russian Ambassador

Russian diplomats provide all necessary assistance to Russian national Aleksey Burkov, who was arrested in Israel on suspicion of hacking, and apply for his extradition, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov told Sputnik

TEL AVIV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2019) Russian diplomats provide all necessary assistance to Russian national Aleksey Burkov, who was arrested in Israel on suspicion of hacking, and apply for his extradition, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov told Sputnik.

"Consular officials of the Russian Embassy in Israel have been rendering assistance to Burkov since 2015. In particular, they check if his rights as a detainee are respected, help to solve problems encountered in that respect. But the Primary thing we do is that we apply for his extradition to Russia to consider the allegations against him and real crimes committed by Burkov," Viktorov said.

Aleksey Burkov, an IT specialist, was detained during his vacation in Israel in 2015 at the request of the United States. The US authorities accused him of embezzlement, identity theft, computer hacking and money laundering, and has since submitted its own extradition request. Burkov has denied all charges.

According to the Israeli Supreme Court's decision,

Burkov reportedly recently spoke with Israeli Justice Minister Amir Ohana and asked that he not be handed over to the US authorities. The minister's representative told Sputnik that a decision on this matter would be made in the coming days.

The Israeli media has linked the Burkov case to that of Naama Issachar, a dual Israeli-American who was sentenced to seven and a half years in a Russian prison for drug smuggling. This has triggered speculations that Burkov might be exchanged for Issachar.

Meanwhile, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shed some light on the exchange deal. In an official letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, they requested that be Issachar granted a pardon.

Despite the widespread campaign in Israel for Issachar's release, the Russian ambassador to Israel believes that the current situation will not threaten bilateral relations.