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The court in Moscow will consider on the merits the case against Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko, who is being accused of espionage, on March 27.

"Today I was told that the hearings would start. They are tentatively scheduled for 10:00 on March 27. So the trial of precisely Sushchenko begins," the Ukrainian's lawyer, Mark Feygin, told an UNIAN correspondent in Russia.

Read alsoUkraine ready to swap Russian military serviceman Ageyev - lawyerAccording to Feygin, the trial will continue behind closed doors.

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Today, the defense team's appeal with regard to the extension of Sushchenko's arrest until March 30 was overruled.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Russian Federal Security Service on September 30 detained an Ukrinform correspondent Roman Sushchenko in Moscow, labeling him a "Ukrainian intelligence operative" who allegedly "deliberately collected classified information on activities of the armed forces and the national guard of the Russian Federation." Sushchenko was officially charged with espionage.

On January 24, 2018, the Moscow City Court extended the arrest of Sushchenko until March 30, 2018.