Moscow demands Kyiv release Russian reporters immediately, unconditionally
MOSCOW. May 19 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry said it demanded Kyiv stop the tendency to detain Russian reporters over accusations with no proof and release them unconditionally, the situation is under control of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"We are deeply concerned about this situation, we follow its development and assume that the de facto Kyiv authorities should take steps to release reporters as quickly as possible and unconditionally. Those, who call themselves the authorities in Kyiv should respect Ukraine's international obligations, including those taken in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) framework, to ensure freedom of speech and mass media. All these rights are violated very seriously and trampled in the case of the Russian reporters' capture and are preventing work of journalists from other countries," Russian Foreign Ministry Human Rights Ombudsman Konstantin Dolgov told Interfax.
"It is necessary to put an end to this tendency from the de facto Kyiv authorities. Baseless accusations regarding our reporters are made with no grounds and no proof. This situation is unacceptable. So we are working [to resolve the situation] on the level of foreign ministers," he said.