Russia Prolongs Pretrial Detention Of Ukrainian Journalist

Roman Sushchenko stands inside a defendants' cage during a hearing at a court in Moscow on November 28.

A court in Moscow has prolonged the pretrial detention of Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko, who has been held in Russia on suspicion of espionage.

The Lefortovo District Court on November 28 ordered the pretrial detention term of Sushchenko extended until January 30, 2017.

Sushchenko, a Paris-based correspondent of the Ukrinform news agency, was detained in Moscow on September 30 on suspicion of collecting classified information.

He was formally charged with espionage on October 7.

The Ukrainian government has denied that Sushchenko is an agent of the intelligence services.

In October, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry handed a protest note to the Russian consul in Kyiv demanding Sushchenko's immediate release.

Based on reporting by TASS and Rapsinews