Ukrainian opera director freed in Italy hits out at Russia’s misuse of Interpol

Yevhen Lavrenchuk said the allegations against him were false and that he was being persecuted by Russia for publicly voicing his dissent. Photograph: Liliya Krivets

A Ukrainian opera director who was arrested in Italy at Russia’s request has said he hopes to be “the last ever victim of Russian exploitation of Interpol”.

Yevhen (Eugene) Lavrenchuk, 39, was imprisoned in Naples for more than two months after Russia issued a call for his arrest through Interpol’s “red notice”, an instrument once used to hunt fugitive criminals but which now includes the names of political dissidents.