Ukrainian officials have dismissed a Russian television report that alleges that the U.S. secret service, the CIA, ran secret prisons in Ukraine, RFE/RL reports.
The RTR TV Channel of Russia broadcast on Sunday a programme, entitled “Special Investigation,” which said that a secret CIA prison for inmates from Afghanistan and Iraq was probably located on the territory of the Makarov-11 garrison, in Ukraine. The programme cited the words of Georgy Kryuchkov, head of the parliamentary committee for defence and national security. Kryuchkov said he had received an anonymous letter about secret CIS prisons existing in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the allegations were a "cheap trick."
A Swiss newspaper, "Sonntagsblick," printed similar claims in January. The Ukrainian foreign ministry described the report as absurd. The Ukrainian Security Service also refuted it.
Allegations of secret CIA prisons in Europe first appeared in the "Washington Post" in November. The New York-based Human Rights group identified Romania and Poland as possible hosts of the detention facilities. Both countries issued denials.
