The Russian Foreign Ministry continues to work to protect the captain of the container ship "X-Press Pearl"

Brief retelling from RIA II

The Russian Foreign Ministry continues to work to protect the legitimate interests of the captain of the X-Press Pearl container ship, Vital Tyutkalo, who is stuck in Sri Lanka.

The Russian side emphasizes the unjustified long-term detention of a Russian citizen and the need to speed up the trial, in which Tyutkalo is a defendant.

The captain is prohibited from leaving Sri Lanka, but his movement within the country is not restricted and he can freely meet with members of his family.

MOSCOW, October 3 - RIA Novosti. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova told RIA Novosti what the ministry is doing to return home the captain of the X-Press Pearl container ship, stuck in Sri Lanka.

“With regard to the captain of the X-PressPearl ship, Vital Tyutkalo, who sank in 2021 off the coast of Sri Lanka, I would like to note that since 2023, neither he nor his relatives have contacted the Russian Embassy in Colombo or the Russian Foreign Ministry for help,” she said. Nevertheless, Zakharova added, “our diplomats continue to work to protect the legitimate interests of Russians.”

“During consultations between the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Andrei Rudenko and the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka in Colombo on April 2, 2026, the unjustified long-term detention of our citizen and the need to speed up the trial in which Tyutkalo is an accused were again emphasized,” she recalled.

Zakharova emphasized that the Russian side monitors “observance of Tyutkalo’s procedural rights.” “We can state that they have not been violated,” the diplomat said.