Ukrainian court denies bail to Russian journalist slated for prisoner exchange by President Zelensky

A Russian-Ukrainian journalist accused of state treason by Kiev has been denied bail by a Ukrainian court. Earlier Ukraine’s president suggested exchanging the man for a Ukrainian activist convicted for terrorism in Russia.

A Kiev court on Friday ordered to keep journalist Kirill Vyshynsky, the head of RIA Novosti Ukraine, in jail until September 19. The journalist has remained in custody since May 2018, when he was arrested by Ukraine’s national security service SBU and accused of state treason. Prosecutors allege that his work as head of the Russia-linked news agency amounted to waging “information warfare” against the country. The charge may result in a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

Earlier on Friday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested exchanging Vyshynsky for Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian activist, who is serving a term in Russia for terrorism. The court is yet to rule on Vyshynsky’s guilt or innocence, so the suggestion implies Zelensky may order that charges be dropped against him.

Sentsov was sentenced to 20 years in 2015 for the role he played in a string of arsons in Sevastopol, Crimea, which were meant as acts of political resistance against the peninsula’s secession from Crimea and rejoining Russia. The court ruled that the group’s plan to bomb a memorial and a statue posed a serious threat to public safety, unlike the arsons that targeted empty buildings, and delivered a harsh sentence. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly demanded his release as a “political prisoner.”

Vyshynsky’s defense said it will appeal the latest ruling. Moscow views his prosecution as a “mockery of justice,” saying he is being tried for being a Russian journalist. Concerns over his case were voiced by a number of international human rights organizations, who questioned Kiev’s rationale.

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