Investigators seek 2-month arrest extension of Ukrainian Sushchenko charged with espionage - lawyer
MOSCOW. Sept 23 (Interfax) - The Moscow City Court will consider investigators' motion on the extension of arrest of Ukrainian citizen Roman Sushchenko charged with espionage on September 25, his lawyer Mark Feygin told Interfax on Saturday.
"Investigators seek the extension of Sushchenko's arrest for two more months. The hearing will take place at the Moscow City Court at 10:30 a.m. on September 25," he said.
Moscow's Lefortovsky District Court made a decision to extend the restrictive measure earlier. But this motion is heard at the Moscow City Court, because investigators requested to extend Sushchenko's arrest, the total duration of which has already exceeded 12 months since his detention.
It was reported on October 3 that the Ukrainian citizen had been detained "while committing an act of espionage" in Moscow. According to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Col. Roman Sushchenko is a career officer of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence.
Espionage charges were brought Sushchenko, he pleaded not guilty.
Lawyer Mark Feygin said that his client has been charged on several counts of espionage.
The lawyer said that Sushchenko, who had lived in France for six years as a correspondent of the Ukrinform news agency in Paris, repeatedly visited Russia and stayed there for personal reasons at the time he was detained. His relatives live in Russia.
Kyiv has described Sushchenko's detention in Russia as an act of provocation and the spying charges brought against him as far-fetched.