Russia detains Ukrainian journalist on ‘espionage’ charges

In a statement on its website, the agency wrote that “Ukrinform is indignant at the illegal arrest of [its] correspondent, who has been working at the agency since 2002, and is Ukrinform's correspondent in France since 2010.”

Sushchenko “was detained in Moscow on the day of [his] arrival and the Russian side, in violation of all international rules, didn’t inform anybody [of] his detention – neither his wife nor diplomatic institutions, or Ukrinform – his place of employment,” the agency wrote.

The Kremlin-controlled Sputnik agency said on Monday that Sushchenko was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) as he “was gathering information on the Russian military” in his capacity as a “colonel of the Ukrainian chief intelligence directorate”. (rg)