Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Russian counterpart on the release of the Ukrainian student Serhiy Rusynov, who has been held for almost a year held by Russian backed separatists in Donbas.

We are aware of reports concerning Mr Rusynov's imprisonment in a non-government controlled area of Eastern Ukraine. We remain extremely concerned about the lack of access for human rights bodies to non-government-controlled territories in Eastern Ukraine. It is essential that independent investigations take place to deliver accountability for all serious allegations of violations. We have called upon Russia to use its influence over the separatists to provide this access and to ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.