US CITIZEN ARRESTED IN CRIMEA

Crimean militia arrested naturalized US citizen Sergey Kriukov saying he had been a member of criminal gang Seilem, active on the peninsula in the 1990s. Sources say Mr. Kriukov was detained along with an individual nicknamed “Malysh”. Authorities allege that Sergey Kriukov had been involved in extortion schemes in the Crimea. They point out that he had fled the Crimea in the 90s fearing massive operations against the organized crime. Apparently, Sergey went to the United States where he became an American citizen. Militia say they found his American passport while searching his belongings. There was no word from the US Embassy in Kiev on Kriukov’s arrest. As a US citizen Mr. Kriukov is entitled to American consular assistance. Some observers doubt that he will stay in jail long. They say that the Yushchenko regime grovelling before Washington would not dare to keep an American citizen in detention. Others hope that Mr. Kriukov would be prosecuted and the Americans would review his citizenship granted, as they maintain, to a person with a criminal past.