Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, stated that she will discuss the situation of RIA News Director Kyrylo Vyshynsky arrest with Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine’s President. She said it at the press conference after the meeting with Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, as Interfax reports.
“Regarding the journalist, I certainly will discuss my today’s visit with Ukraine’s President and I will mention this incident,” Merkel stated.
In his turn, Putin called the arrest of Vyshynsky unprecedented.
As we reported the workers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has exposed the network of the media entities controlled by the Russian Federation. The law enforcement bodies held the investigative actions at the office of RIA News-Ukraine.
On May 15, the SBU considered the detention of the head of RIA News Ukraine agency’s office.
Kremlin has already responded to the incident and called the actions of the SBU outrageous. Also, Russia promised to assume reciprocal measures. Then, the state sent a protest note over searches at the mass media office.
Later it was reported that the actions of Vyshynsky were preliminarily qualified as the state treason. The same day the SBU reported that Kyrylo Vyshynsky is now officially suspected of state treason.
On May 16, the advocates of Vyshynsky claimed that their client is transferred to Kherson for choosing of the restrictive measure.
