Yefremov's trial

On August 1, Kyiv's Pechersky district court is considering pretrial restraint for Oleksandr Yefremov, the former chairman of the Regions Party parliamentary faction.

Security has been tightened in the courtroom.

Simultaneously, a rally is being staged by representatives of the NGO Vilni Liudy (Free People) outside the court premises in support of the prosecutors' position on two-month remand for Yefremov.

Yefremov was detained at Boryspil Airport on July 30 while trying to leave for Vienna, Austria.

Yefremov is charged in connection with complicity in the creation of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, premeditated attempts to redraw the borders of Ukrainian territory in breach of the Constitution of Ukraine and other crimes against the country.